Surviving Wayward Manor (Until Dawn)
by NoneOfThisWorld
Summary: The gang finds out that Josh is still alive and is being kept in an institute for the insane and they all decide to go see him again for the first time in months. What will they say and how will he react? Rated M for language and later chapters
1. 1: Reunion

**It's fair to say that if you haven't played Until Dawn yet, or at least watched it online, Spoiler Alert. So, I haven't actually played the game yet, but I want to so bad. Unfortunately I don't have a ps4 yet, but my fiance does so I'm going buy the game and play it at his house. However, I've watched Pewdiepie play it all the way through and I've been watching Markiplier play through on his channel. I also watched the different ways the characters can die or live and so on, but I decided this fanfic would take place with everyone living in the end, only Josh lives too. In this story Josh was found by the rescue team before he could succumb to the curse of the wendigo and taken back home only to be submitted into an institute for the mentally unstable soon after.**

 **I hope you all enjoy. Please read and review, it'd be greatly appreciated :D**

* * *

He sat at a table by himself, staring at the various patterns in the wood, his eyes following the various lines as if following the path of a maze, trying to find his way out. Various other patients where at other tables with their families and friends while he sat alone, waiting quietly.

In the next room seven people stood awkwardly trying to make up their minds. It'd been eight months since they've all been together in one area, ever since that dreadful night on the mountain. It'd been the first time since that dreadful night they had been in the same building as 'him' and it was not an easy thing for any of them to do, but they were there.

Mike had brought it up months ago, after hearing about them finding him alive and bringing him home. It wasn't long after that they heard 'he' had admitted himself into the hospital for his hallucinations and various other reasons. It took everyone several months to agree.

Sam was the first to agree, but that was no surprise, then Chris, though it took him quite a bit longer than Sam. After him was Em. She wasn't too thrilled with the idea but she decided it'd be worth a try, besides, she had a few choice words for 'him'. Then Matt followed right after Em did, seemingly for his own reasons, but the rest figured he just agreed for Em's sake.

Ashley was the hardest to convince after what Josh had put them through, especially after what Josh had put her and Chris through, not once, but twice. Both times Chris had chosen her over himself or Josh, which in the end was both flattering but more terrifying than anything. Not only had he seemingly threatened their lives twice, but he had punched her, right in the eye. With some convincing from Chris, she had finally agreed.

Last was Jessica. After the whole ordeal she was admitted into an institute for her own sake, but she wasn't there long. She never was really the same, she'd been fairly quiet the whole time since they gathered together at the institute where they kept Josh. Though when she saw Mike, she perked up quite a bit.

And there they were, all gathered together for the first time in months. They all glanced into the two way mirror, watching Josh stare at the table quietly awaiting the guests he was promised.

"So...what's the plan?" Matt was the first to break the silence.

"Do we all head in, or...?" Chris began, unsure where he was headed.

Mike shook his head, "No, we'd just confuse him, probably cause him to have some sort of episode."

"It's the least he deserves," Em spat, "The prick."

"Hey, he's been through enough," Matt said, trying to calm her down, though it probably wasn't the best move.

"Like hell, after all that shit he pulled up there I'm surprised he's not in prison," she retorted.

"He lost his mind," Sam reminded them, "he was trying to avenge his sister's. In the long run, he kinda had a point. I mean it was twisted and messed up, but you guys did kinda cause his sisters' death," she pointed out.

"Sure, take his side," Em snapped, "Why don't you go in there and give him a blow job while you're at it."

"Guys, relax," Mike stepped in. "Yes, what we did was wrong, with the exception of Chris, Sam and Josh, the rest of us did play a part in what caused Beth and Hanna's death. It's not something I'm proud of, but...we messed up. Josh had a right to hate us for what we did, but he did go about it the wrong way. After we found him in the mines, he was tripping out. Their deaths really fucked with him guys and it will follow him as well as us for the rest of our lives, there's no changing that. We can't forget what he did to us, nor can we forget the 'harmless' prank we played on Hannah, but we have to talk to him, all of us. We need to clear the air."

"Clear the air, my ass," Em grunted as she folder her arms over her chest.

"So who goes first?" Chris asked.

The room was silent as everyone exchanged glances. Sam was about to step forward when Mike approached the door, "Here goes nothing." He opened the door and stepped inside the large room. It was full of people visiting their friends or family members at the institute and then there was Josh. He was off to the side, a table near the corner, distant from the others, paying no mind to Mike as he approached. In fact, Mike was sure he probably wasn't even aware it was Mike at all, at least until he spoke.

"H-hey there Josh," he began as he took the seat across from him, careful not to make any sudden movements.

Josh didn't respond, not right away, until slowly he looked up at Mike, staring at him like he was a stranger. Slowly but surely, the fog began to fade from Josh's eyes as he stared into Mike's, "M-mike...is that you?"

Mike offered a half smile and a nod, "Yeah Josh, it's me."

Josh smiled back at him, but only for a moment, for it faded just as quickly as it appeared, "No, no, no, no," Josh shook his head, pressing his hands to his temples, "you shouldn't be here," he groaned, "you're not safe around me." Josh warned as he began rocking in his seat.

Mike frowned, perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all, "Josh, relax, its fine."

Josh shook his head more, his rocking becoming more frantic, "No, no man, it is not fine, you shouldn't be here, no, no, no. Not after that, it's not good, it's not safe," he claimed.

Mike sighed unsure what to do at that point to calm down his old friend. He started reconsidering having everyone show up at once, maybe ease him into the idea of seeing everyone again so he doesn't explode or something. Just as he was moving to leave, the door came open and Sam walked in. Mike glanced over his shoulder as she approached and tried to signal for her to go back before Josh loses it, but it was too late.

"Josh," she said quietly, but just loud enough to get Josh's attention. Slowly he looked up at her, his eyes wide, his mouth agape as he gawked up at her, like a child looking to his mother for forgiveness.

He swallowed, "Sam?"

She smiled down at him and took the next seat, "Hey Josh."

He shook his head again, this time, tears building up in his eyes, "I'm sorry!" he sobbed, "I'm so sorry," he buried his face in his hands, "I didn't mean it, I swear, I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Sam flashed a concerned look towards Mike who only shrug. "The nurses are looking at us."

Mike glanced over his shoulder, "We need to calm him down."

Sam rested a hand Josh's back, "Josh, it's fine, everyone is fine. A little sour, but they're fine."

Josh looked up at her, "But Jess..."

"Jess is fine, turns out she managed to get out of the mines too. She survived the fall," Mike assured him.

Josh narrowed his eyes, "You're lying," he spat, "Those things killed her because of me!"

* * *

Matt prodded Jess's shoulder, "Go show him you're fine," he said.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Em suggested. But Jessica was already on her feet and out the door. She strutted across the room and up to the Table where the three of them sat and tapped Josh on the shoulder. He jumped and looked up at her, expecting him to recognize her, maybe be relieved to see her, she forced a smile, but it only made things worse.

Horror struck his face as he jumped up out of his chair, "No, you're not real, he proclaimed. You're dead!"

* * *

"Jesus Christ, he's so fucked up," Em proclaimed.

"That's the tortured soul of a guilty conscious," Ashley finally said and they all looked to her.

* * *

Jess shook her head, "No Josh, I'm real," she tried to convince him.

Josh backed away, "No, go away, you're not real! You're not real!"

A nurse approached the group of them, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you guys to leave and maybe come back another day, you're upsetting the other patients."

Another nurse came up beside Josh while two large men held him back before the nurse ejected him with some sort of sedative.

The three old friends frowned as they watched their old friend be carried away.

"Perhaps another time," Sam suggested.

With that the group hesitantly left the institute, leaving their disheveled friend behind.


	2. 2: Surprise

**Yay, another chapter. I've been trying to get this out right after the first chapter, but I keep getting distracted by the internet.**

 **Also, I was going to buy the game yesterday, but instead of driving all the way to gamestop, I made the smart move and called them. No one in my area had it. X.X**

 **Everyone has been buying them out and such and the closest gamestop that had like 3 copies is like an hour away -dies- so I bought it on amazon. It should be here tomorrow, but I wont even be able to play it till I see my fiance again. He has the ps4 blah.**

 **Anywho, read and review please. Also suggestions would be helpful :D**

* * *

Ashley sucked in a breath then let it out slowly, a smile dancing across her lips before she indulged in the first sip. A moan escaped her lips as she set her cup down, "God, I've been waiting for this all year," she cooed.

Chris rolled his eyes with a bemused scoff, "You girls and your pumpkin spice lattes," he teased.

Ashley rolled her eyes right back at him, "Don't knock it till ya try it," she said offering her cup towards him.

Chris shook his head, "Yeah, how about no. I'm fine with my simple, average latte, thanks." He hugged the cup between his hands to keep them warm from the bite of the autumn chill. He always enjoyed this time of year when the air was crisp and the leaves would begin to change. It meant the end of the old and a beginning to a new. It meant the world was preparing for a change that would give it a fresh new layer. He took a sip of his own coffee enjoying the warm feeling that spread through his body as rolled down the back of his throat. Setting down his cup he reached out for Ashley's hands, engulfing them in his own and offered a soft smile.

Ashley smiled back at him, giving his hands a gentle squeeze and giggled, "What? What's that look for?"

Chris shrugged and shook his head, "Can't I just look at you because I want to and there be no other reason than that?"

Ashley felt her ears grow warm, which wasn't all that unwanted with the air beginning to cool, it was quite a welcome change, "I don't know, you just have a look in your eye…like you're up to something…" she rose a brow as she watched him, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Chris chuckled and pulled a hand away to reach into his pocket. His fingers brushed against a small velvet box in his pocket, but he was interrupted by Ashley pulling her hands away to dig into her own pockets to retrieve her now ringing phone.

"Hold that thought," she said holding up a hand and answering, "Hello? She paused for moment, nodding a few times, but not actually saying much. "Yes, this is she. Oh? Okay. Yeah? Are you serious?!" she practically shouted. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth and the more the other person spoke, the larger it got. "Yeah, the eleventh is fine," she assured the caller. "Oh my God, thank you so much." She cooed, "You know what I mean," she giggled. "Okay, thanks again. See ya then. Okay, bye."

Chris abandoned the box in his pocket and put both hands on the table, "What is it?"

Ashley set her phone on the table and gave a slight shrug, her smile never faltering as she turned her eyes up at Chris, "So…that was my lady doctor," she began. Chris rose a brow, curious to see where she was going with that. "I think we should get everyone together this weekend. I mean it's been almost a year since…" she took another sip of her coffee. "And last time we saw each other was two weeks ago to visit Josh and that didn't go all that well."

"Ash, what was that call about?" Chris asked again. "You can't get all excited and act like nothing happened," he pressed. "You said it was your," he averted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable with the next part, "lady doctor. What's up?"

Ashley shrugged, "You know, I went to my lady doctor for my annual checkup and since we became…active, she wanted to run a bunch of tests and stuff and" her eyes fell on the table once more, the smile still dancing on her lips and she gave another halfhearted shrug.

"Ash?" Chris pleaded.

Ashley's lips twitched into a shy smile. She kept her eyes on the table a bit longer before meeting his eyes, "I'm pregnant."

* * *

Ashley, Sam and Jess stood to the side, squealing and jumping up and down while Emily covered her ears in disgust.

"Jesus Christ, can you scream a bit louder?" Emily asked.

"Don't be such a party pooper," Jess snorted, "Just because Matt hasn't proposed yet, doesn't mean you have to be so anti engaged."

"Glad you're feeling better," Emily snorted. "Jesus, Matt and I have been dating for like…over a year now and you and Chris have been dating for like…what, six months and he popped the question, good lord."

"Yeah, but Ashley and Chris have been like, in love, forever," Jess pointed out.

Ashley blushed visibly as she played with the hem of her shirt, "he even had this sweet speech about how short life was and that whole thing with Josh made him realize that we can't just beat around the bush anymore. He said that the idea of not having me in his life for the rest of his life was terrifying and in a way, Josh kinda helped him gain the courage to not only ask me out, but propose. I know it sounds weird, but if it weren't for that, then Chris and I would probably still be tip toeing around each other now."

Emily snorted, "So is that why you people insist on seeing Josh again, to thank him for bringing you too together? 'Oh thanks Josh, if it weren't for you flipping your lid and trying to murder us, we wouldn't have had the gnads to hook up at shit,' as if!"

Sam shooed her off, "Just ignore her, Ash, we're happy for you."

Ashley gave a half smile, "There's something else you guys should know as well."

"He didn't get you pregnant, did he?" Emily asked.

Ashley's jaw went slack, her eyes wide in shock.

Emily returned the shocked stare, then shook her head, "Oh God, you 'are' pregnant? Are you kidding me?"

"Don't tell me that's the real reason behind proposing?" Sam asked.

Ashley shook her head frantically, "No, he didn't know at first. We were at Starbucks when my lady doctor called, because I went in last week for my annual checkup. She asked the usual, 'are you sexually active and I said yes and she did all the tests and such then called the other day to confirm. I then told him that we should do a barbecue this weekend and really get everyone together, but he wasn't really listening, he was curious what I was suddenly so smiley about then that's when I told him I'm pregnant. He was so excited and not long after that is when he pulled the box out of his pocket and proposed. Apparently he planned on proposing just before my doctor called."

Sam covered her mouth, "Oh gosh Ash, that's so cute."

Emily made a look of absolute disgust, "Oh dear God."

* * *

Chris was checking the steaks when Matt came up beside him and shoved him slightly on the arm, "Why'd you have to go and propose, man?"

"What's the matter, Matt? Jealous?" Chris teased.

Matt rolled his eyes, "As if," he snorted. "No man, now it's just pressure on the rest of us. Emily may be playing it off as disgusting and irritating, but I know she's going to be on me for a ring. Even if I did plan on proposing, which I'm not any time soon, she'd expect a rock the size of my head."

Mike came up beside Chris admiring the juicy steaks that called his name, "Good luck finding a rock that big," he teased.

Matt rolled his eyes, "Ha-ha, very funny. Don't you have a girlfriend to steal?"

"Now calm down, ladies, let's just enjoy the weekend and try not to jump down each other's throats for once, let's not have a repeat of last time." Chris said, trying to be the mediator, but he quickly regretted his comment.

They all went silent. The last time they actually got to interact it almost ended badly for all of them. They exchanged glances and Matt let out a long sigh, "He's right, let's at least pretend we can get along, if not for a day, for the girl's sakes."

"What about Sam, how is she taking it?" Chris asked.

Mike set his beer down then shoved his good hand into his pocket, "Hard to tell, but she 'seems' fine."

"Seems fine," Chris repeated. He directed his attention back to the steaks and checked them to see how they were doing. They all perked up when they heard the girls perk up and squeal with excitement as they chatted at high pitched frequencies only they could hear.

"Seems alright to me," Mike pointed out as they watched Sam embrace Ashley excitedly as they spirted off about exciting news.

"Wonder what's got them all hyped up?" Matt asked.

"Probably still going on about that ring Chris got her," Mike replied.

Chris knew better. He wasn't going to be the first to tell them, however, he'd leave that up to Ash. Seeing as she most likely had just told the girls and they were looking his way, he had a good feeling the boys were about to find out too. Instead of hinting, he just shrugged and continued to watch the meat sizzle on the grill.

The girls all joined the boys by the grill giggling and whispering to one another when Ashley spoke up, "So, did you tell them the rest of the good news?" she asked Chris as she stole a pickle spear from the plate beside him.

Chris watched her as she ate the pickle like it was chocolate, then grabbed another, "No, I was waiting for you, but at this rate I'm sure they'll figure it out." Chris chuckled as she looked back at him, head cocked slightly to the side as she considered the comment until the other girl started giggling as well.

She looked to the pickle in her hand then rolled her eyes, "oh gosh, Chris," she shoved him on the shoulder. "I can't help it, but god, I though steak and burgers would be a good idea, but now the smell is making me queasy."

"Well, first of, it's September, most normal people have barbecues in spring and summer, not the fall," Emily pointed out, "second of all, you're pr-" Sam cut her off with a hard jab to the side. "Jesus Christ!" Emily snorted and shot Sam a warning look, to which Sam flashed right back.

Matt and Mike exchanged quick glances before looking back to the girls, "So, what's the big news?" Matt asked. "I mean, aside from the engagement?" He could feel Emily's eyes on him, but didn't dare look her way.

"Well," Ashley began as she came along Chris's side leaning her head on his shoulder, "Um, so the day Chris proposed to me was also the day we got some really exciting news, but before you guys go coming up with theories, you have to understand that he didn't know and he planned on proposing in the first place, but once I found out-"

"Oh for God sakes, she's pregnant!" Emily butt in before storming back into the house, "it's fucking freezing out here!"

Everyone watched Emily storm off and stared after her for a long while before directing her attention towards Ashley.

"Congrats," Matt said before disappearing into the house after his girlfriend.

Mike patted Chris on the back, "Nice job knocking your girlfriend up right at start," he snorted.

Thankfully for the cool air, Chris's blush could be put off as standing out in the cool air for so long, though the heat from the grill quickly debunked that, "Hey, it's like I said, ever since what happened almost a year ago, I got tired of tip toeing around everything. I want every day to be to the fullest and I want to spend as much time as I can with the love of my life," he said before giving her a gentle kiss. "Yeah I didn't expect the baby, but I hoped we'd have some kids after we got married."

"Well, we could always get married before I get fat," Ashley pointed out.

Chris pursed his lips, considering and shrugged, "Why not, it goes along with everything else," he replied.

Ashley squealed, "Oh god, I'm gonna start planning now!"

"So, seeing as you've already got a head start, how many kids do you guys plan on having?" Mike asked, half teasing.

"At least two," Ashley said, but Chris had answered at the same time.

"At least four," he said and they looked at each other. Ashley's eyes were wide as she gawked at her fiancé's answer. If possible, Chris's face was even redder than before. "Well, I mean, it's open for discussion," he added sheepishly.

"Man, I wonder what's gotten into Em?" Sam wondered out loud.

"Who cares, she's probably upset because the attention isn't on her for once," Jess said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Matt found Emily inside digging through the pantries. Careful not to startle her he spoke before resting his hand on her shoulder, "Hey, what's up?"

Emily found a box of instant hot cocoa with marshmallows and set it out on the counter, but didn't look at him, "Nothing, I'm fine," she assured him.

Matt wasn't the best with reading women, especially Emily, but he knew when she said she was fine, she really wasn't, "Come on, tell me the truth Em, why is Ashley's announcement bothering you so much?" Part of him knew the truth, but he wasn't so sure he was ready to go down that path, but what she said next he wasn't expecting at all.

"It's just, everyone is so happy for her. They've been dating for like, a few months-"

"Well, like eight, but they have really liked each other for a long time," Matt pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but she's pregnant, Matt, I know they said he planned on proposing, but he proposed after he found out she was pregnant. I think he did it because she's pregnant, not because he planned on doing it e same day they found out. Coincidence, I think not."

Matt furrowed his brow, "I believe them," he retorted, "even if it wasn't, why does it matter?"

Emily sighed and turned around to face him, "What would you do if you found out I'm pregnant?" she prodded.

Matt swallowed hard, finding it hard to look her straight in the eye as he contemplated his answer. It was just a hypothetical question, right?

"Fuck!" Emily shouted then pushed passed him, "I knew it!"

"Wait, you didn't give me time to answer," Matt protested.

"You shouldn't need time to answer, it should be an easy yes or no question," Emily shot back.

"But this is just in theory, right? Just like a, 'what if 'situation, right?" Matt asked.

Emily played with her fingers and slowly turned back to look at him and slowly shook her head, "No, it's not. Matt, I'm pregnant."

* * *

"I wonder what's keeping them?" Ashley asked as she looked towards the house. She had taken a few bits of her burger, but was unable to eat it without gagging. Chris was offended at first, but both Sam and Jess stood up for her, knowing that certain tastes and smells could easily upset a pregnant woman's stomach. She did, however enjoy a hefty severing of potato salad.

"Probably make up sex," Jess suggested.

"Well, I hope they clean up afterwards and keep it out of my room, or my parent's room," Chris said.

"Shouldn't you guys think about your own place before you get married?" Mike pointed out.

"We're looking," Chris admitted. "We've actually been looking since before I proposed. We just talked about it at first then we really started considering it, but I already had bought the ring by then."

Ashley gawked at Chris, "How long have you had that thing?"

Chris shrugged bashfully, "A while…"

Ashley gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "You're adorable."

Sam let out a gasp before standing up from her seat on the patio, "Crap, I lost track of time. I've got to get going," she said as she gathered what was left of her food, "Mind if I take some extras?"

Everyone looked to Sam, slightly startled by her sudden movements. "Uh, sure, there's plenty of left overs," Chris said. "Where are you going?"

"I have an appointment," she informed them as she grabbed an extra plate, "This is really good, Chris, thanks for having me. Congrats you two. Wish I could stay longer, but I really have to go," she told them.

* * *

"I thought you weren't going to make it," Josh said with a pleased smile.

"Yeah, sorry, I was…at a barbecue and lost track of time," Sam admitted sheepishly.

"Barbecue?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, I tried to bring you some, but they wouldn't let me bring it in so now it's sitting in my car getting all funky," she pouted.

"You're cute when you pout," Josh pointed out. He was practically his old self, or as close as he could get on the meds they had him on in this place. He hadn't had an episode since that day, but Sam had been visiting him every day, if not every other day since then. She hadn't told the others because they were so put off by the first visit, she was sure it'd go several ways amongst her friends, so she kept it to herself, at least for now.

Some days were better than others, while others he was hardly there. Today was proving to be one of his best since she started visiting. Sam offered a smile, "Yeah, well, good news."

Josh leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "Oh?"

Sam nodded, "Chris proposed to Ashley."

Josh's face lit up, "Really? And I missed it, you know I told him to jump on that," he cut himself off before he went any further.

"You know, he said he has you to thank, in a weird way, it was you who finally tore that wall down between them. He said if it weren't for…what happened a year ago, they might still be tip toeing around each other."

Josh leaned in close and whispered, "I bring people together," he said with a smug grin. But when he saw the discomfort of Sam's face, he knew that he had triggered memories of that day. Saying the same thing he said on that day, probably wasn't the best choice, but he wasn't always in control of what came out of his mouth. Swallowing he lowered his eyes and sat back in his seat.

Sam cleared her throat, okay, so he wasn't completely back. She forced a smile, she had to remind herself that he may never be back to the Josh that he was before his sister's death, but she continued on as if nothing happened, "Ash is pregnant," she continued.

Josh's eyes widened, "What, really? Is that why he proposed, or…?"

"According to them, Chris had planned on proposing that day, but just before he could pull the box from his pocket she got a call from her doctor telling her the news. After she told him, he pulled the box out and gave her this big speech about life being short and not wanting to spend another moment without her. Sounds like they're planning on getting married real soon before Ash starts to show."

"How far along is she?" Josh asked.

Sam asked, "I didn't get the details, I had to come see you," she smiled.

Josh smiled back at her but it quickly faltered, "I probably won't be invited, will I?"

Sam frowned, "I don't know Josh, that's not up to me."

Josh nodded leaning forward. He unfolded his arms and rested a hand on Sam's hand, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone, especially you. If I could do it over and we were all back on that mountain, maybe Chris wouldn't be the only one to come out of his shell, because Sam, I-"

"Time to take your meds, Mr. Washington," said a nurse as she came by. She held the cup out to Josh who downed the pills followed by a mouthful of water. Once he was done, he opened his mouth to show that he had swallowed them. When the nurse was satisfied she left them alone.

Same watched Josh expectantly, her heart in her throat. She had a feeling what he was going to say to her, but she needed to hear it from him. She cleared her throat, "So…you were…saying?"

Josh stared at her for a moment as if trying to process what she had asked before blinking a few times, "I…I uh…"

"Yes?" Sam prodded.

Josh frowned followed by a sigh, "I don't know, I lost my train of thought, what were we talking about?"

Sam shook her head, "Oh, just how Chris knocked up Ash, and they'll be getting married real soon."

"Right, right, do you think they'd invite me? I could sit all the way in the back," he suggested.

Sam forced a smile, "Um, I could ask them, but I'm sure you'll understand if they say no."

Josh put a hand on Sam's once more, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone, especially you," he repeated, but he didn't continue like he had before. Sam simply nodded and patted his hand with her free hand. "I know," she said. Josh gave her hand a light squeeze and smiled at her.

* * *

 **A/N: So, one thing I'm trying to decide what to do with Emily and Matt, should he get the balls to propose? Should he not and Em be forced with the choice of keeping the baby and perhaps have the idea of raising it herself, should she consider adoption or abortion or do you think she should miss carry? I wasn't really sure why she was so pissed when I was writing it, and then I was like, lol she's pregnant too, but now I'm not so sure if I like it.**


	3. 3: Sunset

**My game finally arrived, I'm so excited I can't wait to play it. So I've considered a lot of ideas ya'll have thrown at me and I think I'm gonna combine a few ideas and throw in my own little twist for Emily. I don't everything to be happy all the time. Perhaps some supernatural elements, maybe? -holds flashlight under my chin and laughs maniacally- But yeah...things and stuff and ideas. Also, this one was a lot longer than I intended, so...you're welcome? or Sorry, whichever.**

 **On a side note, I plan on maybe writing a side story for Ashley and Chris, just cause I think they're so cute. I'm thinking it'd be a prequel and will take place right after they got done being questioned and such and what things they got into. Mostly fluffy nsfw things cause I'm a creep. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

The air had grown colder so the rest of the group had moved inside, to find Matt standing in the living room by himself. They all exchanged a look of concern before Chris stepped forward, "Hey, is everything okay?"

Matt looked up at him, then shook his head, "Look, I-" he sighed, "I gotta go man, I'm sorry." With that, he turned and left the house without another word.

"I wonder what happened," Ashley wondered aloud.

"Looks like they're fighting again," Mike pointed out, "they do that a lot, but Emily can bring out the worst in people."

"Well, luckily you found that out real fast," Jess said as she plopped down onto the couch. Mike followed suit and sat down beside her.

"Who wants hot chocolate?" Ashley asked. The three remaining people all rose their hands, quite excitedly. "And it would appear I already have three kids," she teased adding an eye roll for emphasis. Turning around she went into the kitchen and began work on making four hot cocoas, taking note that the box was already on the counter. "Weird," she mumbled to herself. She thought perhaps Matt or Emily may have made a pack but there were no used cups. Maybe that's when the fight broke out.

Despite how easily everyone brushed it off as Emily just being Emily, she couldn't help the thought that perhaps something really was bothering Emily.

* * *

It had rolled into October and the fall fair had come to town with all the pumpkin spice flavored things and white girl could dream of, not to mention some cool rides. The fair was such a big deal, everyone in town was going. Everyone but Sam. Sam was sitting in a sterile dining room, spending her time with Josh.

"What's it like being cooped up in this place all the time?" Sam asked.

Josh shrugged resting his chin on his open palm, his elbow propped up on the table, "It's boring most of the time, sure we can go outside, but it's just the small fenced in area out back and everyone shambles around like zombies here. Knowing that everyone is just as crazy as you or crazier, helps a bit. You know that song Brain Stew, by Green Day?" Sam nodded in response. "It kinda feels like that."

"Isn't that song about being like, super high?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah, but you'd be surprised with the kind of drugs they have here," he let out a long sigh, "but to be honest, most days I feel like I'm the sanest one here. No one can keep a full conversation without blanking out or going off on tangents about aliens or some other crazy bull shit."

"You don't always keep a conversation yourself," Sam pointed out. She didn't mean for it to come out so harsh, but Josh chuckled and nodded.

"I know," he frowned. "But one thing do like about this place is that I see you more now, then when we were in school." Sam opened her mouth to say something, perhaps disagree, but she realized he had a point, so she held her tongue. "There's not a lot of privacy here, though."

Sam rose a brow, "Oh?"

"Yeah, I hardly ever get any 'me' time," he admitted, "Unless it's really late and I time it right," he added. Locking eyes with Sam he realized he didn't have much of a filter, "D-did I say that out loud?" Sam's jaw hung low as she gave a curt nod. It as Josh's turn to blush for once as the two became uncomfortably quite.

Several heart beats passed until a thought occurred to Josh, "Hey, isn't it about that time for the Fall Festival?"

"Yeah, why?" Sam replied.

"Well, what are you doing here with me? Shouldn't you be at the fair with the others or something? I know how much you like the fair."

Sam gave a light shrug, "I like you more," now it was Sam's turn to have a filter malfunction. Quickly she tried to distract him with a question, "Hey, aren't you allowed to go out on outings or field trips?"

"I'm not in kindergarten, Sam," he teased, "but yeah, they'll let me out for a few hours with a baby sitter tagging along."

"Well, the fair will be going on for a while, think they'd let you go?" Sam asked.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Josh teased.

"Wha- pfft, na-no, I was just trying to give you something to do other than being cooped up in this place all the time," she retorted rater quickly.

Josh watched her for a moment and chuckled, "Relax, I'm just Joshing ya," he teased, using the same joke he's used on multiple occasions. "I'll talk to the nurses and see what I can do."

* * *

Emily lay on her back as the doctor moved the device over her stomach in search of her new addition. The doctor frowned making Emily's heart sink, "Huh, that's strange," she said, "I'm not picking up a heartbeat," she glanced at Emily noticing the panic, "Not to worry," she assured her, "these older machines don't always work right away." She moved the device over Emily's stomach a bit more, until, "Ah-ha!" she claimed, "There it is," she smiled then turned the sound up so Emily could hear.

Emily couldn't help the smile that grew on her face. Screw Matt, who needs him. She could do this on her own. Her parents won't be happy with her, but they'd help her out if she needed it. It was in that moment that she decided to keep it and she wouldn't need anyone's help. She'd show them all.

* * *

A few days had passed and Sam was notified that they got the okay for Josh to go to the fair with her, with supervision of course. For the first time in months Josh got to wear regular clothes brought over by Sam, who had stopped at his house on the way. His parents were both too busy to be bothered with such trivial things.

Sam made sure to pick out something that was both stylish and would keep him warm in the crisp fall air. Sam, herself, wore a grey pea coat, black leggings, grey boots and a red scarf. When she arrived with Josh's clothes, she found his eyes glued to her, but played it off as the cold.

After several checks and pat downs, they were able to leave, driven to the fair by Josh's babysitter, as he referred to the large ginger man. Once they made it to the fair, Sam simply beamed at everything. It made her feel like a kid again and she found herself thinking of the twins. Beth loved the fair just as much as she did, but Hannah loved it most of all. Glancing Josh's way, she saw the sorrow on his face as she assumed he must have been thinking the same thing. Reaching down she grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Josh entertained his fingers with Sam's and squeezed her hand in response. Josh led the way down a path, the babysitter following close behind.

They came to a game that evolved darts and balloons. The goal was to pop the balloon using the darts and each balloon had a piece of paper that corresponded with what prize could be won. Sam caught sight of a cute panda bear all the way on the top shelf. It was large and fluffy and very much a big win type of prize, "Oh, it's so cute," she cooed.

"I bet I could win it for ya," Josh suggested.

Sam smiled but they were stopped by Josh's babysitter, otherwise known as Craig. "No can do, buddy, you're not allowed near any form of weapon."

"It's a dart," Sam protested.

Craig folded his arms over his chest. He obviously wasn't going to budge.

Sam narrowed her eye at him then threw down a dollar, "Fine, I'll play it then."

The man behind the counter of the stand handed her three darts and stood aside. "Get me the pink one," Josh pointed out. Sam glanced at the strange puff of pink. It had large eyes, was mostly a ball of pink hair and dangly legs. She glanced at Josh and he beamed back at her. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or if his meds were speaking for him. Shrugging she readied herself and threw the dart. Hit, but she didn't get anything exciting. The man handed her a deranged looking frog, but she had two more goes. The second one missed, but the third one landed and the man handed her a blue sort of hippo thing.

Sam made a look of disappointment as she frowned and held both out towards Josh, "Cute, right?"

"You can play again and if you hit three in a row, you can trade those in for something on the third shelf," the man suggested. "I'll even throw in a fourth dart."

Sam eyed the third shelf. There were fairly cute critters on the third shelf, so why not? Slapping another dollar down, the man gave her four darts and stepped aside. This time Sam was better prepared. It wasn't all that difficult, just kind of a pain. She threw the darts one at a time, this time all four hit. "Victory!" she cried, throwing her arms in the air.

The man at the booth shrugged, "Eh, for that, you can keep those two and pick something from the third shelf."

Sam tapped her chin, "Hmmm, which one?"

"The Kuala," Josh suggested.

"The Kuala it is," Sam agreed.

The man nodded and pulled the Kuala from the shelf and handed it to Sam. Sam happily accepted the Kuala, only to hand it to Josh.

Josh rose a brow, "Nah, it's yours, you won it."

Sam shrugged, "I won it for you."

Josh smirked as they continued down the path. Various people in booths heckled for their attention, but they continued on, "OOooh! A fun house," Sam pointed out. "Let's go in there," she said, tightening her hold on Josh's wrist as she led him towards it. When she got there, she paid for her and Josh's way in, until Craig reminded her that he had to remain with them.

"So pay for yourself," Sam snorted.

"No can do missy," Craig informed her.

"And why the hell not?" Sam demanded.

"They didn't provide me with funds for the fair. I was only told to remain at his side at all times. I'm not paying for this shit out of my own pocket, so if you two love birds want to have fun on a kiddy ride, then you need to be able to get all of us in."

Sam cursed under her breath, "Fine," she grunted as she paid for Craig's way in as well. They started at a room of mirrors, turning this way and that, never seeming to find the exit to the next part. Every once in a while they'd run into the glass, each laughing at the other, they even got a few laughs from Craig, who kept trying to convince them that he was just there to watch Josh. Sam could see it in his eyes, he was having just as much fun as they were. Finally they found the next part. Up a set of stairs the found a pathway that was moving up and down and made them walk funny as they moved over it.

"This makes me feel like Sandy in the movie Grease," Sam giggled. "You're the one that I want!" she sang.

Josh came up behind her, taking her by surprise, "Ohh hoo hoo, baby!" Sam turned to gawk at him to which he replied with a shrug and a charming smile. "What, didn't expect I'd know the song?"

"No, I just didn't expect you to sing," Sam replied.

They continued on through a spinning tube that they both struggled to stay up in and at the end was a slide. "Ladies first," Josh offered.

Sam slid down with a childlike, "Weeee!" Followed by Josh, doing the same. Craig, on the other hand, got stuck half way down and had to scoot the rest of the way. From there, they hit the tilt-a-whirl, then the Orbiter, then the Graviton. Half way through the ride, Josh had turned himself upside down and couldn't stop giggling. The giggles were contagious and Sam couldn't help herself.

Once they got out, Craig had to sit for a long while, feeling extremely dizzy as he sat in the grass.

Sam stepped away and bought the poor guy a water and two corn dogs for her and Josh. The guy was on his own for food, because as far as she was concerned, feeding him had nothing to do with him staying on them at all times. Although he was quite thankful for the water.

"Hey, carousel," Josh pointed out.

"I get the black horse!" Sam exclaimed as she ran off.

Josh glanced over his shoulder at Craig who currently had his hands on his knees to catch his breath. It wasn't that far and within his sight, so he waved off Josh. Josh beamed and chased after Sam.

Sam was giggling when he reached her and helped her up onto the black horse. Josh glanced around, but the closest horse to Sam was a pink unicorn. Sighing, he hopped onto it, just as the ride began to start up. "Where's Craig?"

"Catching his breath," Josh replied as he clung to the pole. With a Kuala in one hand and a mostly eaten corndog in the other, it made things semi difficult.

Sam couldn't help but laugh, to which Josh joined in. When the ride was over, they caught back up with Craig who had a nice shade of green to his face. Sam was about to make a comment when something, or rather, someone, caught her eye, "Shit," she hissed.

Josh tried to figure out what she was looking at, when she moved suddenly so they were both facing with their backs towards the direction she was looking. "What, what is it?" Josh asked.

"Uh…its Mike and Jessica, I kinda haven't told them that I've been visiting you all this time and for them to see us here, together, I just don't want to spend the rest of the night explaining.

But Josh didn't seem to hear her. Once he heard 'Jessica,' his mind flipped a switch and it was crazy Josh again, "Jessica?" he squeaked. He saw her across the way, his eyes widening in terror, "JESSICA!" he screamed.

* * *

Jess's ears perked up, "Mike, did you hear that?"

Mike was already looking around, "Yeah, I did, it sounded like…" that's when his eyes locked with, "Josh," he said, just above a whisper. He eyed Josh, wondering why he was there or how he even got out of Wayward Manor, but that's when he saw Sam, her back to him like she was trying not to be noticed. "Sam!" Mike called.

Slowly she turned around to face Mike and gave a weak wave. Her face had 'caught,' written all over it.

As Mike and Jess approached the trio, Josh began to retreat behind Sam, like a shy, terrified child. "Jessica," he squealed.

Sam patted his hand, "It's okay, Josh, she's fine, she's real," she assured him.

Mike rose a brow at Sam and she knew she'd have a lot of explaining to do, but seeing as Josh was in the sort of state, not made for this kind of tension, Mike let it go, for now.

Jess bit her lip and slowly and carefully approached Josh, "Josh," she said, holding her hand out as a peace offering, "it's okay."

Josh shook his head, "You're dead, Mike said so."

Mike shook his head, "Look, Josh, I was wrong, I didn't know about the Wendigo then and I didn't know she'd survive the fall. She's fine now, look."

"No, I killed you," he cried, shaking his head, "you, Mike said, so…"

Jess was closer now, her hand still outstretched to him, "I'm real, Josh."

Hesitantly, Josh stepped out from behind Sam, reaching out to touch Jess's hand. His skin lightly brushed against hers. He prodded her hand a few times until he knew it was okay to hold her hand. He held it or a short while before forcing Jess into a startling embrace. She gasped, a bit panicked by the sudden action, until she realized he was hugging her and crying.

"I'm so, so sorry, Jessica, I didn't mean to kill you…I mean, I didn't" Josh sobbed.

Carefully Jess rubbed his back, "I'm okay," she repeated, "You didn't kill me. You had nothing to do with what happened to me," she assured him.

"I think it was Hannah," Josh said softly, still clinging to Jess.

Jess glanced over Josh's shoulder at Sam and Mike who merely shrugged back at her, "What was Hannah?"

"The Wendigo, I saw her tattoo. It had Hannah's tattoo," Josh told them.

"What?" they said collectively. This was news to all of them.

"The Wendigo that took me had the butterfly tattoo that Hannah had," he repeated.

"Now that you mention it, Mike and I found a journal at Hannah was keeping down there in the mines. We think she dug up Beth and-" Mike cut Sam off.

"This, really isn't the place to talk about this," he warned.

Josh slowly retreated from Jess and returned to Sam's side. Craig approached the group. He'd been standing back the whole time, but when Josh had started to flip, he was ready to cut off the trip. Once he was sure Josh was calming down, he backed down, but now some low talking was happening and he could only assume they were discussing a way to break away or something.

"What's all the whispering about?" Craig asked.

"Wendigos'," Josh replied happily.

Sam face palmed but she soon relaxed when she realized Craig just took it as one of Josh's weird blurts.

"Oh, Mike, ferris wheel!" Jess exclaimed, pulling Mike along.

Sam and Josh followed, with Craig right behind. As they walked, Mike flashed Sam a warning look and she knew she'd have a lot of explaining to do later.

When they got to the ferris wheel, Mike and Jess got in one car and as Sam climbed into the next one, waiting for Josh, Josh had stopped Craig and had been whispering to him about something. After some convincing, Craig backed off, letting Josh get into the car with Sam and got into his own, next.

"Wow, Josh, how romantic of you," Sam teased.

Josh lowered his eyes to his knees, rubbing his palms on his pants, he mumbled to himself, still not fully back to normal.

When they reached the top, Sam gasped. With the sun setting, it gave the sky a beautiful orange, yellow glow, "Oh, it's beautiful," she sighed.

Josh cleared his throat, "Sam," he said, barely loud enough for her to hear. When she turned to face him, he leaned in, crushing his lips against hers. Sam gasped unintentionally allowing him access to her mouth, but she wasn't going to complain. Just when she was really getting into it, he broke the kiss to admire her dazed face. "Thanks for bringing me out," he whispered.

"Yeah," she replied longingly.


	4. 4: Hair

**So, I was having a bit of an issue with this chapter, I think it has something to do with how I'm building the relationship with Sam and Josh, but I'm hoping I can turn it around. I hope you guys like it anyway.**

 **On a side note, if you haven't seen it yet, I have uploaded the side story for the prequel to Chris and Ashley and much smuttiness, just as a warning, its mostly smut, lol.**

* * *

"So, guess who's been seeing Josh, all this time?" Mike began.

Sam sat in the middle of the couch wearing a very guilty grin as the rest of the group looked at her. "What's so wrong with seeing Josh?"

"Nothing's wrong with visiting Josh, we just want to know why you didn't tell us. You made up excuses to leave all the time, why didn't you just say anything?" Jess asked.

Sam shrugged, "I saw how you guys all reacted the first time we saw him again since February," Sam pointed out. "I didn't think you guys would be all the supportive of me seeing him after his break down."

"Well, it was a bit unsettling," Chris admitted. Ashley nodded in agreement.

"Chris, you used to be his best friend," Sam pointed out.

"He had Ash and I convinced, not once, but twice that one of us would have to die for the other to live. Mind you, both were rigged from the beginning, but that's not something you do to a best friend. I didn't have anything to do with the prank that got his sisters killed, no offense Ash," Ashley remained silent, but she knew he was right. "Nor where you Sam and both of us were put through that stupid game."

"In his defense, he really thought he was helping bring you together. Looking back, before everything happened that night, Chris had mentioned trying to set you guys up to break the ice, and even made a comment that at the rate things were going, you'd need a traumatic experience to bring you to together. I'm not saying it was the most logical way to go about doing things, but he actually thought he was helping."

"As I said before, yes, if that hadn't happened, we'd probably be playing the game of secret admirer in plain sight and such, but that doesn't make anything he did okay," Chris protested.

"I'm not saying it was, I'm just saying he thought so. The rest was crazy, yes, but he went off his meds, Chris, he'd been off them a long time. Mike, you saw how he was down in the mines. He wasn't himself and he still really isn't, but I think my visits are helping," Sam suggested.

Mike shrugged, "Yeah, he was one flavor short a fruit loop," he agreed, "but I don't know, what do his parents say about all this?"

Sam lowered her eyes, "They don't even visit him anymore, guys. They did at the beginning, but his father is far too busy to see him all the time and his mother refuses to visit him alone. I don't know if she's scared of her own son, or she can't bare to look at him, but he's lonely. He deserves some form of visitation. I'm not saying you guys should visit him or anything, but I just want you to understand why I want to continue seeing him."

The room was silent for a while as they absorbed the information, "His own parents?" Jess repeated. Sam nodded.

"How'd you convince the institute to allow him to go out in public?" Chris asked.

"We had to have a baby sitter, not sure if Jess and Mike caught on, but the large guy with fiery red hair that was fallowing us around was Josh's handler for the day," Sam explained.

"Didn't his parents have to clear it?" Mike asked.

Sam shook her head, "He admitted himself into the place, so they just had to give the okay that they thought he'd be okay under supervision."

"So, they don't find him dangerous or a threat to the public, after all that?" Ashley asked.

Sam shrugged, "Good behavior, I guess. "He behaves well when he's there. He earned enough good points to earn a day out. I guess they have a point system there and he had more than enough."

"What does he do when no one is visiting?" Ashley asked.

Sam gave a short shrug, "Not sure, he said there's activities and they're allowed outside in the fenced in area for fresh air and stuff, but usually it's just wondering around aimlessly," she glanced around the room, "Has anyone heard from Matt or Emily lately?" she asked suddenly.

"I don't know, ever since the barbecue, I haven't heard from them," Ashley said. "I think they got in a fight. I text Emily the other day and she texted back that she was fine, but other than that, no calls or anything. Not even much activity on Facebook either."

"What about Matt?" Sam asked.

"He texts once in a while and he's a bit more active on Facebook, but no relationship update from either of them," Chris replied.

"God, I wonder what happened," Sam wondered.

"Who cares, it wasn't bound to last," Jess waved it off. "Matt is so nice and Em is a stuck up bitch. I can't believe he put up with her for so long."

Sam frowned to herself. Jess could wave it off so easily, but something about it didn't sit well with Sam.

* * *

Emily was crying and mumbling to herself as she brushed her hair over and over, while staring into her reflection. Her mascara was streaming down her cheeks, her eyes were red and her skin was so pale, it was almost translucent. She pulled the brush away and several clumps of hair fell out to the ground where more hair was piled up.

Emily was frantic as she put the brush down, "No, no, no!" she cried. Her hand resting on her large stomach, where just a few weeks ago she wasn't even showing. "Oh god," she cried. Beneath her hand, she felt it move and press against her hand. Her cries became more erratic as she sunk to the floor, her hands splaying out in the piles of her hair as she picked up clumps and tried to push them into her head without avail.

* * *

"Uh…its Mike and Jessica, I kinda haven't told them that I've been visiting you all this time and for them to see us here, together, I just don't want to spend the rest of the night explaining.

But Josh didn't seem to hear her. Once he heard 'Jessica,' his mind flipped a switch and it was crazy Josh again, "Jessica?" he squeaked. He saw her across the way, his eyes widening in terror, "JESSICA!" he screamed. As he stared into the crowed, eyes locking on Jessica, a shambling corps moving, unnoticed, through the crowded. 'I killed her,' Josh reminded himself. It's my fault she died.' He could hear Sam saying something to the corps as she approached them and Josh's heart began to race, 'she's coming back for revenge.' Josh shook his head and moved behind the beautiful angel that came to his protection. He wasn't sure why she chose him of all people to protect, but he was glad she was there.

The angel spoke with the corps and sang a soothing song to calm Josh's nerves. The more she sang, the more Jess looked like her former self. The angel told him that Jessica was alive and demons were showing him false profits. With her kind words, the illusion cleared from his mind and Jessica looked okay. She looked more alive than he remembered. He was sure the image of Jess he saw was Hannah and Beth's doing. 'They're torturing me again,' he thought.

Without warning, he hugged Jess and apologized over and over again. He wasn't sure how much she believed him, but she didn't exactly stop him. Jess pulled Josh's ear closer to her lips and whispered, "Sam is going to die."

* * *

"No!" Josh shouted as he shot up in bed. It took a moment for him to realize he was back at Wayward Manor in his room. Slowly he leaned back into the bed, covering his eyes with his hands as he tried to contemplate his dream or rather nightmare. He ran his hands through his hair, slowly letting out a breath to relax himself. There was no way he'd fall asleep after a dream like that. He glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned seeing that it was three am.

God, how he wished there was something to do to pass the time. Rolling on his side, he thought about the one good thing that came from his nightmare, his angel, Sam. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture her. He thought of her smile, her green eyes and beautiful blond hair. How her hair bounced when she laughed. How peaceful she looked when she thought no one was watching, like that night on the mountain when he watched her soaking in the tub.

He thought about her curves and how wet she was and how much he wanted to join her in the tub at that moment. If things were different, he could tell her how much she meant to him. How much he cared about her and appreciated those long nights staying up to tell him he'd be okay. Everything she'd done for him, wasted by his need for revenge. If only he could go back. If only he could make things right. He wanted to be in that moment with her in the tub. Tell her how he felt with hope that she'd invite him in. They could make out and see where it went from there.

He thought of the other day when they were on the ferris wheel and he kissed her, how soft her lips her against his own. How he hungered for more, but knew that could never happen, at least not in real life. In his own little world, he could pretend that he never tricked his friends and lost them all. He could pretend he confessed how he really felt towards Sam and she'd say she's felt the same. He could pretend that they still went up to the cabin, but it was just like it used to be, but this time he and Sam are together while she tries to distract him from his thoughts.

Josh opened his eyes, glancing at his locked door, then back at the clock. He'd have plenty of time. Reaching into his pants he found his throbbing erection and began stroking himself. He'd have to stay quiet, but he always pretended it was Sam stroking him. He wondered what it would be like if she touched him like this. If he could know what it was like to be inside of her. To touch and feel and caress and kiss. But it wasn't just about being sexual, it was about showing her how he felt. About making a connection. He wanted to know the passion they could share. He wanted to know how it would feel to lay in her embrace forever.

He pulled up his shirt and released onto his chest with heavy pants, his heart pounding against his chest. Licking his lips her removed his shirt and used it to clean up the mess before tossing it onto the floor. Leaning back into his pillow, he continued to think about Sam, but just her face, how beautiful she is and how she would never be his.

* * *

Matt sat at his computer browsing the web when his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, another text from Emily. Maybe if he ignores enough of her messages and phone call attempts, maybe she'll get the idea. Meanwhile, he returned to his computer, looking up the options she may have. In his opinion, abortion was the best so far.

* * *

"How did the group take it?" Josh asked.

Sam chewed on the inside of her cheeks trying to decide the best way to explain to him.

"That well, huh?" Josh asked, "I don't blame 'em, I wouldn't want to see me again after what I did."

Sam shook her head, "They'll come around, Josh," she assured him. "They realize you weren't really you, when you did that."

"Wasn't I, Sam? I wanted revenge for my sisters' deaths. That much is so, but I shouldn't have acted on that want. I should have just stayed on my meds, they at least helped a bit and we wouldn't all be in this situation now," Josh sighed.

"Even so, if we still met back up on that mountain, there were still all the Wendigos' and we'd probably be dead by now," Sam protested.

"Yeah, but if I would have let it all go, I never would have asked anyone back up to that place and everyone would be okay, Sam," he pushed his plate of food away that he had been picking at the entire time. "Why do you insist on coming to see me, Sam?"

"Josh-"

"I want the truth, Sam!" he snapped, "do you pity me?! Is that it? Do you feel sorry for me? Well you shouldn't, because I don't deserve your pity. I don't deserve such a kind heart. I don't deserve you!" he sobbed, "Why are you here, Sam? Don't torture me like this, please. I can't take it."

Sam's brows knit together and she rested her hands on his, "Josh," she began but he pulled them away.

"Don't, I can't do this anymore Sam. Stop try to make me feel better. I know you're just lying to me to make me feel like what I did wasn't that bad. I know you feel bad for me because-"

"Josh, I love you!" she snapped, but quickly recoiled.

Josh frowned and leaned forward. He wasn't sure if what she said he heard or if it was one of his hallucinations. "Excuse me?"

Sam rubbed her hands on the knees of her pants, her palms feeling clammy and sweaty as realization of what she had said set in, "I love you, Josh. That's why I make excuses to leave everyone else early, so I can come see you every day. That's why I find I feel the happiest when I'm with you. That's why I wake up every morning with a smile on my face because I know, that soon I'll be seeing you. Josh, I'm not here to pity you or to lie to you, I'm here because I generally want to just see you and spend time with you."

Josh's mouth hung agape as he tried to process what she had just said, "You love me?" Sam nodded quickly as if to emphasis what she felt.

Josh sat back in his seat considering her confession. Josh frowned and shook his head, "You shouldn't love me. You'd be happier loving someone else, Sam." He looked her in the eyes, "I care about you, a lot and I'd hate to hurt you. I don't what to see you cry or upset because of something I do, or one of my hallucinations or something else, it's not safe. It'd kill me inside if I did something like that."

Sam looked up at the nurse currently in the room, she was feeding a resident and was very focused on him to notice. Biting her lip, she moved closer to Josh and rested her hand on his once more, "It's too late," she shrugged, "I'm already in too deep. There's no turning back." With that, she leaned in and kissed Josh tenderly on the lips. It wasn't long before she felt his hand cupping the side of her face, his thumb rubbing against her check.

Josh tilted her head back, deepening the kiss as he managed to slide in some tongue before they broke away, knowing a nurse could notice any moment. They looked into each other's eyes, Josh's hand still cupping Sam's face, "Sam…"

"Yeah?" she asked, her voice having a dreamy tone to it.

"I love you too," he said offering a soft smile, "I think I have for a while now." He lowered his eyes and slowly retreated his hand from her face and rested it in his lap. "That's why I don't want to see you get hurt. That's why I can't hold on to you." He looked her in the eyes, "That's why you have to let go of me."

"No can do, Mr." Sam objected, "I know if I leave you now, it'll hurt you. Just like you said, besides, they say if you love something, then let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be. As far as I'm concerned, you let me go on that mountain, but here I am," she assured him as she rested her hand on his lap, but it landed somewhere else instead. "Is…is that what I think it is?"

Josh looked down in his lap to see where here hand landed, "Uh…yeah, that…happens a lot," he looked up at her, beaming ear to ear, but his face was beat red. Clearly he was trying to play it off as normal, but his red cheeks said otherwise.

"Does it have something to do with your meds?" she hopped.

"Sam, I'm a twenty-one year old male in a mental institute that doesn't let me touch myself when I'm in my own room, or at least if they're aware. It gets lonely and sometimes it just does it on its own, to be honest and your hand still resting on my boner, isn't really helping," he pointed out.

Sam quickly retracted her hand and averted her eyes from him in utter embarrassment. "So, if you're so lonely, why not just leave this place?"

"I can't do that," Josh objected.

"You checked yourself into this place, why can't you check yourself out?"

Josh shook his head, "I'm doing well, here. Besides, even if I did leave, there's nothing for me at home. Mom and dad are never home, not to mention someone would have to make sure I take my meds and shit."

"I could do that," Sam volunteered suddenly, "I mean if you decided you wanted to get out of here…"

Josh stared into her eyes, "I don't know Sam."


	5. 5: Cocoa

**"Hello friend...hello friend. That's lame. Maybe I should give you a name. But that's a slippery slope, you're only in my head, we have to remember that. Shit, this actually happened, I'm talking to an imaginary person."**

 **So as I was writing this, I started thinking about the actor who plays Josh in the game and I was like, I know this person, from somewhere. So I looked him up and I was like, "Oh, okay, he played king tut in Night at the Museum," but I found out he was also the main character in a show that just started this year called Mr. Robot. I watched the entire season in like...3-4 days. -eye twitch- I really liked it, but the last like 3 episodes were like, wuuuut.**

 **Anywho, the guy who plays the character Eliot/Josh, is really good at playing crazy people. The quote up top is from the first 25 seconds of the first episode. It's really good, if you haven't seen it yet, I'd say you should check it out. o3o.**

* * *

Chris and Ashley gawked at the monitor, watching the strange form wriggle and stretch. Their faces both reflecting disbelief as the image etched it's self into their minds forever.

"That's our baby," Chris said, not blinking, his voice still full of disbelief.

Ashley couldn't stop smiling, she only nodded, uncertain of the stat of her voice at this moment.

Chris leaned forward to get a better look, lifting his glasses to better see, "Kinda looks like a dinosaur fetus," he said half joking.

Ashley smacked him on the arm, "It's not a baby dinosaur," she snorted.

The doctor smiled at the two of them, "Would you like to hear its heart beat?" he asked. They nodded in unison. The doctor turned to the machine and flipped a switch. The room was suddenly filled with a strange thumping rhythm. "The louder, stronger one is yours Ashley, but the quicker smaller heart beat is your baby's heart beat."

Chris smiled, trying to blink back tears, but when he saw the tears streaking down Ashley's cheeks, he couldn't hold his own back anymore. Ashley caught sight of him watching her and couldn't help but laugh, "Oh god, you're worse than me."

Chris rubbed his eyes before rubbing his nose on his sleeve, like a child, "Am not," he retorted, his voice cracking a bit.

Ashley chuckled and rest her hand on his forearm, "You're so sensitive," she cooed, "That's why I love you."

Chris chuckled, "You have to admit," he said, gesturing towards the monitor, "it'd be cool if it was a baby dinosaur."

* * *

Matt was hanging out in the living room, home alone as he flipped through the channels before settling for the news. Kicking his feet up on the coffee table, he watched, not really paying much attention until a particular story caught his attention. Turning the volume up he listened.

"Repeating what we have just found out, for those just turning it, there has been a strange phenomenon going on lately, with women who have recently gotten pregnant, dying suddenly, but not in a normal way," the female news anchor said.

"That's right, Debbie," the male anchor agreed, "We've gotten numerus reports of young pregnant mothers who have recently gotten pregnant, dying suddenly in early stages of their pregnancies."

"Not to mention, Gregg, that most of these women tend to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty five, though no other ties have been made. The strangest thing about this is the matter of which they die. Although they're only less than three months along, they appear to be around eight months or so at time of death, and their stomachs are burst open and their jaws are dislocated. Crime scene investigators say that it appears as if they've been ripped open from the inside out and their unborn children as well as several organs have been removed from the bodies at time of death."

"No suspects have been named nor motive, it seems that a serial killer may be at large," the man said. "As we learn more on this story, we'll keep you up to date on the latest news," the man concluded. "In other news-"

Matt clicked off the tv, feeling very uncomfortable at the news. It was the kind of stuff you only heard of in horror movies, but having lived through a horror movie, he wasn't ready to dismiss such claims. His stomach nodded and he glanced at his phone. Not a single text or phone call from Emily in the past few weeks and he was starting to worry. The news broadcast didn't make him feel any better. Maybe he should check in on her, just in case.

* * *

Sam had always enjoyed the sound of the rain. A soft trickle against the window was her favorite. Rain also had other perks because it often put her in the mood for some hot cocoa. It was fairly late in the evening and she'd be going to bed soon, but decided to indulge in a cup before bed. Just as the timer to her hot cocoa went off, her doorbell rang. Glancing at the clock, the time read, 9:43. Her brows knitting together, she made her way to the door and checked the peephole.

Her heart stopped and she knew if the cocoa was in her hand at that moment, it'd be a big mess on the floor now. Holding her breath, she clutched the door knob, unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open, "Josh?" she asked.

Josh smiled back at her, "He-hey…S-sam…" he beamed. He was rubbing his shoulders and she could tell he was soaked. "C-can I come in?" he asked, a shiver taking over his body.

Sam quickly stepped aside, holding the door open to let him in. She was surprised to see him in regular clothes and not the scrubs they provided at the institute. Quickly, she closed the door, locking it again and looked to him, taking him all in. "Jesus, Josh, you're soaked. What are you doing walking out late at night in the rain, let alone, out of the institute in the first place?"

Josh spoke between shivers, "I-I fffffigured you…w-were right. I-I-I got myself into thhhhhat place and I ssssshhhould be able to get mmmmmyself out. Ssssso I did," he smiled, seeming quite proud of himself.

Sam could only gawk at him. She didn't think he'd actually leave, well she hoped, but why come to her? "Josh, you're soaking wet, couldn't you have at least gotten a taxi?"

Josh shrugged, "Didn't have any money," he shook his head.

"Hold on," she said as she stepped out of the living room for a moment, grabbed a towel and her hot cocoa and came back. She held both out to Josh, who graciously accepted.

Josh wrapped the towel around his shoulders and sipped the hot cocoa, letting out a content sigh, though his body still rocked with shivers.

"So you just walked all the way here?" she asked.

Josh nodded, "Then it started to rain," he added.

"So I noticed," she said, gestured to his current appearance, "But why'd you come to my place? I mean, if you wanted I could have picked you up or something."

"I enjoyed the walk," he assured her, "but you said that you'd help me with my medicines," he reminded her, "You said that if I decided to leave, you'd be willing to help me with my meds and shit. That's what you said, Sam."

Sam frowned, she had said that, but she didn't think he'd take it as an open invitation to her house.

"You're the only one I have, Sam. It's like I said before, mom and dad are never home and I'd need someone to help me, help me remember to take my meds or make me take them when I don't want to," Josh said. "You'll help me with that, won't you Sam?"

Sam swallowed. He was right, she did volunteer and now here he was, no turning back now, "Right," she said, offering a smile, "No turning back now." She gestured to his apparel, "Starting with these wet clothes," she said, stepping forward. Without a second thought, she reached out, removing the towel from his shoulders and set it aside. Then she began work on the flannel shirt that clung to his skin. Seemingly, to help, Josh began working on his belt buckled and undid his pants. After being prompted to lift his arms, she pulled the black wife beater up, over his head and tossed it in a pile.

She told him to remove his shoes and pants, which he did, but when his hands began to tug down his boxer briefs, she stopped him there. Her hands grasping his hand, his hands grasping the band of his underwear. If she were to pull just enough, she could probably see what he was hiding in there, but she didn't dare. "That's fine for now," she told him. "I'll just wash and dry these and look for something for you to wear in the meantime," she suggested. Not realizing she was still gripping his wrists, she felt him shift, his hands moving to rest on her hips, "Josh," she warned.

Josh didn't seem to hear her, or he pretended not to, at least. He pulled her close, so their bodies where pressed together, his face merely inches from hers. "Josh," she breathed, but it was cut off by his lips, pressing firmly to hers. The words, 'No turning back,' rung in her ears as she melted into his embrace.

It wasn't long before he had her clothes on the floor as well, her body pressed into the couch. They were both down to their underwear at that point, and Josh had caught Sam's eyes on his growing tent for some time now. He looked down at her and smirked. His hand reached down to tug at his boxers once more, this time she didn't stop him as he unveiled his throbbing shaft. He pulled his boxer briefs off, tossing them aside as Sam removed her bra. Deep down she knew Josh had seen her fully naked body, before, but that was before she knew he was the psycho messing with them.

Back then, it terrified her, knowing some guy was watching her bathe and had recordings of it. Then soon after, made her watch it. It was scary then, but now, the idea of Josh watching her, seeing her naked body in private was kind of erotic.

Josh leaned in to capture one of her breast into his mouth, his tongue rolling around the taut nipple. He moved his hand up to the other breast, to massage and play with it, earning a moan from Sam as she arched her back.

Sam felt Josh grinding against her, his hardened appendage rubbing against her leg, aching to be plunged within. Instinctively, Sam reached down to grasp his shaft and slowly stroked it, earning a grunt from Josh. Sam sat up, pushing Josh lightly and had him sit down on the couch. Josh watched her with curious eyes as she stood and pulled off her last article of clothing. Crawling onto him, she straddled his lap, her wet core, gently pressing against his throbbing need.

Josh looked up at Sam with pleading eyes, but she wasn't ready to give in, not just yet. Sam pressed her lips to Josh's, her arms draped over his shoulders. She teased him with her hip movements, gently touching his shaft with the wet lips between her thighs. Josh shuddered at the feeling, "Sam," he pleaded. Sam smiled as she rolled his bottom lip in her mouth. Pulling away, she reached down, steadying his shaft and carefully lowered herself onto him.

Josh groaned at the feeling as he held tightly onto her as if he was afraid she'd just drift away like a balloon if he didn't keep her grounded. Sam began to rock her hips against Josh, earning grunts and moans from both. After all this time, Josh finally knew what it was like to be a part of Sam in such an intimate way. He loved how she felt around him. He loved how soft her skin was under his fingers. He loved how her hair bounced when she did. He loved her smell. He just loved everything about her. Hell, he all around loved her. He admitted that already, but didn't get tired of thinking about it.

Josh's brows knit together, his eyes closed as he leaned his head against the back of the couch. God she felt so good. He moved his hands up and down her body, feeling every curve, his hands stopping to rest on her breasts once more. He really liked this aspect of Sam. They were the perfect size and so beautiful to look at. He licked his lips, the taste of them on his tongue.

He began to feel the buildup in his stomach and by the sounds Sam was making, she was getting close too. "Sam," he tried to warn, but it came out as more of a moan than anything. "Sam," he tried again to get her attention, but she only quickened her pace, her moans louder than before. She was climaxing, he was sure of it because her movements were more erratic and had become slopping and shaky. "Fuck," he hissed. He couldn't stop her now. He tried to hold it in, but her last few movements put him over the edge as he released with a loud grunt.

Sam's body slumped against him and he leaned into the couch, his worries quickly sinking away. "I love you," he whispered.

Sam smiled and moved to look at him, "I love you too."


	6. 6: Nightmares

**Sometimes I lose track of how long these things get. For some reason the best time for me to be motivated to write these is between 1 and 3 in the morning, so if some things are off, it's cause I was too tired to check over it and just wanted to post another chapter before bed.**

 **Side note, I'm obsessed with Rami Malek now, so I keep looking up stuff he's been in. I'm just a normal fangirl with a healthy obsession -eye twitch-**

* * *

Mike was cuddled up in bed, Jess's head on her shoulder. She had cried herself to sleep once more as he stayed up and tried to calm her down. She may pretend around the others that she was fine now, but he knew the truth. Every night she had nightmares of her capture and what happened in the mines.

He trailed his fingers up and down her back, humming to her, no tune in particular, just something to keep her calm. She worried him often. Ever since she had come home from the institute, she was a lot better than she had been, but she still wasn't the same.

Mike cares about her, a lot, he may even lover her. Did he love her? He glanced at her sleeping face, so peaceful when she wasn't thrashing about. It was nice to see her dreaming for once and not crying in her sleep. He kissed her head and sighed. Maybe he'd get some sleep tonight.

Jess was so broken despite being cleared to leave. Part of him wondered if she should have stayed, but he wasn't sure it would have made much more of a difference than it is now. Maybe he'd be the best thing she'd need right now. Just staying by her side, keeping her warm, being a shoulder to cry on. He'd be there for her, for whatever she may need. A helping hand, a smiling face, someone who-

"I…" he whispered, the words caught in his throat, "I love you," he told her, knowing she was too far into her dreams to hear him. He felt his face redden, the heat almost unbearable, but he wasn't going to move, so long as it gave her peace.

* * *

Matt stood outside Emily's apartment, staring at the door. He hadn't seen or spoken to her in weeks and now he had grown concerned. "Why am I such a coward?" he asked himself. "I should have just stayed by her side," he admitted. Ever since he found out Em was pregnant and he walked out on her, he had been regretting the move. So much so that he had ignored any call or text or message on facebook. He was scared, he had to admit that, but when she stopped trying to get a hold of him, that's what scared him the most. It had been a few days since her last text and since that news clip he saw, he was really concerned. Two years ago he would have thought of it as stupid propaganda, but ever since what happened to all of them on the Blackwood Mountains, he wasn't going to take anything with a grain of salt anymore.

He rapped on the door, "Emily, its Matt." Nothing. He knocked again, "Emily," he called a bit louder. Still no answer. He knew she was home, he saw her car out front. He knocked once more and the door slowly creaked open, but no one was there. "Emily?" He glanced over his shoulder and hesitantly entered her apartment. The room was dark with very little light to show him his way. Closing the door behind him, he glanced around the room, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness. The only light coming in from behind the curtains over the windows.

"Emily?!" he called again. He passed through the living room, down the hall and to her bedroom. The door was slightly ajar giving him pause. He sucked in a sharp breath and pushed the door open. There she was, sitting in the corner of her room, wearing nothing but a bra and panties. Her hair was a mess and she was rocking back and forth, mumbling to herself.

Matt let out a sigh of relief, "Oh Em, there you are. You had me worried there for a moment. Em?" She continued to rock back and forth, not saying a word.

"Em?" Matt repeated, carefully resting his hand on her shoulder. She stopped her movements all together. Slowly, in a jerky fashion, she turned to look at him, but when their eyes locked, he realized something was off. She wasn't herself and that's when he saw it. The blood, pooled all around her. Her stomach was split open and blood was seeping out the corners of her mouth. "Mmmmaaaa," she managed to say before falling back onto the ground.

"Emily!" he cried out. The trail of blood leading from her body, under her bed. What he saw on the news started coming together in his mind. Whatever was inside Emily wasn't a baby, it was something else and it had eaten its way out of her stomach.

* * *

Sam was startled awake by the sound of her phone ringing. The bed shifted beside her and she knew Josh was awake too. At some point into the night, they had moved into her bedroom, supposedly to sleep, though they had done anything but sleep. She checked the time on her alarm clock, three A.M. She glanced at her ringing phone again, wondering what Mike could want this early in the morning. Swiping the answer button, she put the phone up to her ear, "Mike, it's three A.M.-" she paused, "wait what? Slow down, why? Oh god, is she? Okay, okay, we'll be there ASAP." She paused again as Mike questioned what she meant by 'we,' "Uh, look, I'm bringing someone else with me, you're not going to like it, but I'll explain later. Yeah, okay, be there soon, bye." She hung up the phone and sat up, holding the sheet against her bare chest. Josh was propped up on his elbow, his eyes watching her questioningly.

Sam got out of bed and moved over to her dresser, "Em's in the hospital. Mike didn't have all the details, but she's in critical condition. Matt found her covered in blood and he's too messed up to explain anything, but Mike said we should get there right away. The little bit he gathered, he managed to understand that it had something to do with the news and Matt said something about Blackwood Mountain and supernatural, but I don't know."

Josh slipped out of bed, grabbing his boxers from the floor, the rest of his clothes where in the dryer, thankfully, "He doesn't think it has anything to do with...Wendigos, does he?"

Sam shrugged, "I don't know, Josh, but let's just get you dressed and get to the hospital, we'll find out more there. Let's just hope we're not too late."

* * *

They arrived at the hospital and after finding out where they were keeping Emily, they made their way to the waiting room where the rest of the group was already gathered as well as Emily's parents.

The first to catch sight of them, was Chris, who instantly flared up the moment he caught sight of Josh, "What is he doing here?" he demanded.

Sam stood in front of Josh like a shield from the sure to be onslaught of questions and possible name calling. She held up a hand, "Listen, he checked himself into the institute and decided he didn't want to be there anymore so he checked out. His parents are never home so he came by my place for the night," it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth.

"Is this even a safe place to bring him?" Mike asked, "Isn't he considered dangerous?"

"He's not dangerous, just delusional, no offense Josh," Sam said and he shrugged. "I wasn't just going to leave him alone at my place though."

"Look guys, now isn't really the best time to have this conversation," Ashley stood up in attempt to cool the situation. "Let's just pretend we're all friends for a bit and worry about Em. There's enough drama going on as it is."

With an exchange of glances, everyone nodded and took to their seats. Emily's parents, however, looked especially concerned, but they didn't say a word. They remained silent, every once in a while, Emily's mother would glance at Josh and Sam could tell it was making him anxious.

A nurse came out to greet the group. She looked over everyone before saying, "She is awake, but she's still in critical condition."

"Can we see her?" Emily's mother asked, rising to her feet.

The nurse nodded, "Of course, this way."

Matt rose to his feet as well, "What about me, can I see her?"

The nurse frowned, "I'm sorry, but only family for now. Perhaps another day."

"But I'm her boyfriend, surely you can let me see her. That…that thing that crawled out of her, she…I…" he looked to the ground, unsure how to continue.

"I'm sorry sir," the nurse repeated. "But I just can't allow it. Only her parents this time, maybe tomorrow, when she's in a better state."

"But what if she's not here, tomorrow?!" he objected, "I want to be able…I need to apologize."

"I'm sorry sir, tomorrow," she repeated before leading the way down the hall, Emily's parents following behind her. Matt moved to fallow too, but Mike held him back, "Come on, let's just sit out here and wait. I'm sure they'll give us more info when they come back."

Matt nodded as he took his seat, his hands restless in his lap, his legs bouncing with anticipation. Everyone felt the regret radiating off of the poor boy, but no one knew the half of it.

In the meantime, Josh kept glancing over his shoulder like he expected someone to grab him at any moment. He'd fidget with the hem of his shirt, glance over his shoulder. Search his pockets, glance over his shoulder. Play with his ear lobe, glance over his shoulder. His paranoia began to spread through the rest of the group, Chris being the first to snap.

"Dude, will you cut it out? You're making me nervous."

Josh glanced over at his former best friend. Josh liked to hope that there was still something there, that maybe they could still rekindle their friendship, but he knew Chris, as well as the rest of the group, where still pissed at him for what he did. Josh locked eyes with Chris for a short while before sheepishly looking away, "I'm sorry, br- man, I just…hospitals give me the Heebie-jeebies," he replied, followed by an awkward giggle, "Heebie-jeebies," he snickered at the word.

Chris rose a brow, "Hospitals give you the heebie-jeebies and that institute didn't?"

Josh shook his head, "I liked the people there, they were quiet and didn't ask me who I was talking to, but half the people there were crazier than I am, so at least we had something in common. Hospitals make me feel like someone is going to grab me at any moment and stick me with a hundred needles and try to dissect my brain. At least I don't see 'her' here. Not yet anyway."

Chris furrowed his brow. He'd known Josh had lost his mind, hell he was there when it happened, though it had been so long since he'd actually talked to the guy, he almost forgot how messed up he was, how much that whole thing had really messed with him. His shoulders slumped slightly as he thought about how he had been treating Josh this whole time. This whole outlook he had built of his once best friend. How much Josh beat himself up over the loss of his sisters, like it was somehow his fault. That could do a number on anyone's mental state, it was no wonder he turned out the way he had.

Chris frowned, decided to delve a little deeper, "See who?"

"Hannah," Josh replied simply. "Sometimes I see Beth too, but usually it's just Hannah. Sometimes both Hannahs'."

"Both Hannahs'?" Chris prodded.

Josh nodded, "One the way she was before she…and the other when she's a Wendigo."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Chris replied.

Josh shook his head, "Nah, it's fine, it's nice to see them again, even if it's just in my head." He looked to his hands then back to Chris and Ashley, "Oh and congratulations, by the way. On both things, you two," he offered a soft smile, but it was almost sad.

"Thanks, Josh," Ashley said softly.

"Yeah, well…you know, if things had been different, I would have asked you to be my bet man," Chris pointed out.

Josh nodded and returned his sight to his knees, "Understandable. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful wedding, regardless."

Chris looked to Ashley, asking with his eyes, a question she seemed to understand, to which she gave a reassuring nod. Chris looked back to Josh and patted him on the shoulder. Josh flinched away from the touch, but quickly relaxed when he realized it was just Chris, "You're still invited though, I mean, if you want to come."

Josh looked to Chris, a smile growing across his face, showing his dimples, "Really?"

Chris shrugged, "I mean, as long as you don't go Carrie prom night and pour pigs blood on anyone again, you'll be fine."

Josh smiled awkwardly and nodded, "Deal. That was pretty gross, so…yeah."

"Now kiss and make up," Sam said with a large grin.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are having fun planning weddings and shit, but my girlfriend is still in critical condition if you don't mind," Matt snapped.

"Chill, man, we're just-" Matt cut Josh off, "No you chill. I don't need your two sense, you're insane, what good is that?"

Josh sunk back into his seat, averting his eyes as Matt made him feel like he small.

"Matt, relax, we're just trying to distract ourselves. We're sorry if that bothers you, but everyone handles these situations their own way," Sam cut in.

"Well I don't remember hearing about any of you checking in on Emily at all these past few weeks," Matt snapped.

"Did you?" Jess asked quietly.

Once again everyone directed their attention to her, almost forgetting she was there in the first place.

"Can we all just get along?" Jess asked. "We have a friend in critical condition and all you people are doing is playing the blame game. Tell us Matt, what did you guys fight about that caused Em to go silent on all forms of contact that's got you feeling so guilty?" Everyone was at a loss. Jess of all people would be the last to stand up for Emily, but she had a point.

Matt swallowed, casting his eyes to the ground. He was quiet for the longest time, "It started at Chris and Ashley's announcement party. The reason she was so upset with everything was…" he let out a long breath before continuing, "She told me she was pregnant and pressured me for answers, wondering if I'd propose if I knew she was pregnant. I couldn't give her an answer so she stormed out.

"I kinda ignored all her texts, phone calls and facebook messages for a few weeks. I was scared, I'm not ready to be a father. The weird thing is, I don't really remember having sex with her, I mean I do, but it's hazy. Any memory I have of us doing it, it's like I wasn't really there. Then this thing on the news popped up tonight about all these young pregnant women dying suddenly and looking like they'd been ripped open from the inside out. Suddenly I felt the need to go check on Em, but she wouldn't answer my calls or texts. I figured she was just getting me back so I went to check in person." He shook his head, "There was so much blood, I don't understand how she didn't bleed out. They said any sooner and she would have been dead."

"What thing on the news?" Mike asked.

"You haven't seen that?" Chris asked. "I mean, if what we experienced on the mountain hadn't happened, I never would have believed in such a bizarre story, but now, that's just freaky. It makes you think about what other weird things might be out there."

"Yeah, like all the stuff they run into on that show Supernatural," Ashley added.

"Do you think that stuff is somehow relate to what we saw in the mountains?" Sam asked.

"They don't let us watch the news at the institute," Josh piped in.

Matt shrugged, "I don't know, but I think whatever happened to those girls, happened to Emily, but she survived."

Ashley rested a hand on her stomach, "Do you think it could happen to all young pregnant women?"

Chris looked to Ashley and rested his hand on her stomach, "Let's not think about that right now."


	7. 7: MIB

**Sorry I've been having issues with my internet lately so I haven't been able to upload like I'd like and it just kinda bummed me out to a point that I didn't want to work on the story for the time being, but I'm back and good. And I can't stop watching things with Rami Malek -eye twitch- Anywho... Here's another exciting chapter, and just FYI near the end where they're talking about this guy William Fischer, who will be introduced in the next chapter, is a Character of my own creation from an actual my own, for real hard work story, that I've been working on for over four years now. I like to have my own characters pop into my fanfictions from time to time so when William/Liam starts coming into play in the story and I make references to things you don't understand, it's because it's from a story that I'm still working on, so I'm sorry, I can't help it, they have a mind of their own sometimes and they stumble into my fanfics. The ball is already rolling and I can feel them pressing against the walls of my imagination as I type this. Also, another character of mine, Ambrose/Ryan may also make an appearance as well, just because I like the chemistry between the two. If you have questions about the two as things go on, I'll try to answer to the best of my ability without giving away too much of the plot of the story they're actually from. I just thought at least throwing Liam in would be a good way to explain what's going on in my version of what happens after Until Dawn. Think of it as my version of "the stranger" just, Liam is a lot hotter and not as crazy.**

* * *

A young female nurse entered the waiting room where everyone had remained for the past few hours. All conversation stopped when she came in. All eyes instantly went to her as if they were waiting for more news, something, anything.

"She's asking for you," the nurse finally said, gesturing to Matt. Matt glanced to his friends who merely looked back at him, unsure what to say at that point. Resting his hands against the arm rests of his chair, he pushed up from his seat and quietly followed the nurse down the hall and to the room where they were keeping Emily.

The nurse ushered Matt into the room and left them alone. Matt hesitantly approached Emily, her parents off to the side, watching him without a word. He glanced at them before finally looking to her. She was plugged into so many machines, he was half convinced she would turn into the bionic woman.

Carefully he took her hand and forced a soft smile, but the worry in his eyes was harder to hide, "Em, I'm here," he whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to focus on him before she smiled back, "Matt," she managed, her voice raspy and tired.

Matt took the seat next to her bed and held her hand. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, "H-how are you feeling?"

Matt could almost see her rolling her eyes at his stupid question to which he already knew the answer, but to his surprise, she didn't. She shook her head and looked at him, "I'm in a lot of pain, or at least I was," she admitted sleepily, "Whatever is in this drip has me feeling pretty good," she said with a weak smile.

Matt smirked, "So…" he hesitated, unsure as to how to bring up the question. "What have the docs said?"

Emily closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks, "They…they said you got to me on time, any sooner and I would have bled out. They think they pretty much stopped the bleeding," she added with a cough. She shook her head, chocking back a sob, "They said I'll never be able to have children," she cried. "It destroyed me, Matt. Completely destroyed me."

Emily's mother cried at the sound of her daughter's pain and her husband pulled her close, rubbing her back.

Matt felt his stomach hit the floor, "I'm so sorry, Emily, I should have been there for you, but I freaked out. I'm such a fucking coward, I-" tears rolled down his cheeks, "isn't there any other option?"

Emily shook her head, "There's nothing left," she sobbed, "They said I only have one ovary left and it's pretty beaten up. If it heals properly I may be able to get a surrogate later on, but it's slim. I may never be able to be a mother," she shook her head. "Do you know that's the only thing I've ever wanted most in my life. I mean, I know I can be a bitch and it doesn't seem like something I'd want, but I never told anyone."

Matt reached up and stroked her cheek, then pet her hair. It was so short now and he wondered what caused it to fall out like that, but he knew the answer, "Did they find…it?" he asked.

Emily shook her head, "They said the first responders noticed the trail of blood that led under my bed, but when they looked they didn't find anything. They lifted the mattress and everything, but no signs from there. Almost like it just disappeared."

Matt tightened his grip on Emily's hand and kissed her knuckles, "Em, I've been a terrible boyfriend the past few months and there's nothing I can do to make up for it. I know you must hate me a lot now, but if you'll have me back, I'll do anything. I'm so sorry for everything and I-"

"Oh god, shut. Up," she groaned.

Matt's heart hit the floor as he gawked at her, though what was he to expect. He abandoned her when she needed him most and now that she was okay, he came crawling back to her, begging for her to take him back. He shouldn't expect any less from her, queen of the-

"I still love you Matt," she said, cutting off his thoughts. "But you're going to have to do a lot more than just begging and weeping to earn me back," she warned.

* * *

It was getting really late and the nurses told everyone visiting hours were over. Everyone quietly gathered their belongings, and headed out. Sam and Josh where heading towards the exit, following Jess and Mike, when Chris stopped them.

"Hey man," Chris began, a hand on Josh's shoulder.

Josh and Sam turned to face Chris and Ashley, Sam unsure which way this may go, stayed close to Josh, a hand on Josh's wrist, ready to pull him back if he had an episode. Josh looked to his old best friend sheepishly before averting his eyes, "Hey…"

"Look, back then, at the lodge, what you did, I mean, part of me understands why. I know you were hurting and you were off your meds. I've had time to think about everything and despite everything that's happened," he tightened his grip on Josh's shoulder, "I forgive you man."

Josh smiled back at his friend, fidgeting slightly, "Thanks," he said, "I promise, I won't do it again," he added quickly.

Chris patted Josh on the shoulder before finally pulling his hand away and held onto Ashley's hand, "I sure hope not," he chuckled, "but in a weird way, I'm thankful for you bringing Ash and I together, though there are better ways to do that."

Josh nodded, "I just figured if I didn't help you two, you'd both be in a home before Chris finally got up the courage," he admitted sheepishly, "but you're right, I could have done it much differently. I could have done a lot of things differently," he looked away again, "Chris, Ashley, I'm so sorry," he pleaded.

"Josh, it's okay," Ash said patting his arm. Slipping her hand from Chris, she stepped forward and embraced him in a warm hug. "We're just glad you've gotten some help and you realize what you did was wrong."

Josh sobbed and hugged Ashley back in a warm embrace and she rubbed his back and shushed him. She then pulled away and smiled at him, "We'll be okay," she assured him. "Besides, could you imagine what would have happened if we all went up there and you didn't pull that prank on us? We probably would have never have found out about the Wendigo, at least not in time. In the end, if it wasn't for you, we'd probably all be dead down, or worse."

"Butterfly effect," Chris pointed out.

"You and your Butterfly effect theory," Sam smiled. "Anyway, we should get going. I was supposed to give Josh his meds and put him to bed five hours ago," she joked.

"Why didn't you give him his meds five hours ago, we've only been her for about two hours," Chris pointed out.

Sam went pale remembering what had transpired only a few hours before they rushed to the hospital. Her face began to burn with embarrassment when Josh spoke for her, "We were a bit preoccupied," he replied.

Chis exchanged a glance with Ashley, both their brows knit together as the processed Josh's response. "Sam, where you and Josh-" Ashley began when Sam cut her off.

"Sorry guys, but I really have to get Josh back, he needs at least eight hours of sleep, doctor's orders," Sam said quickly, dragging Josh behind her as she moved towards the exit.

Josh glanced over his shoulder once more, "Sorry guys, past my bedtime!" he called as the left through the automatic doors, leaving behind a very puzzled Chris and Ashley.

* * *

Mike shut and locked the door behind them when they entered their apartment. It was five in the morning by the time they got home and they were both exhausted. It had been a while since they had been so tired that they didn't even want to think about the last time they had stayed up so late. Jess approached Mike and snaked her arms around him in a warm hug. Mike hugged her back, resting his chin on her head as he rubbed her back. "Let's get back to bed," he whispered.

Jess nodded against his chest, "Yeah," she sighed, "I hope Em is going to be okay."

Mike rose a brow, but he didn't bother pushing it, "Well, she was able to talk to Matt for a while, so I think she's doing fine," he assured her. He looked down at her with a smile and she smiled softly up at him. Leaning down he kissed her ever so gently, to which she kissed him back. It wasn't long before their kissing became more passionate as he pressed her into the wall. A small moan escaped her lips as Mike pressed his knee between her thighs. She opened her eyes slightly to look up at him and gasped, "Mike, your eyes."

Mike looked down at her, a brow rose, "What about my eyes?" he asked as he leaned in to kiss her neck, but she shoved him away.

"Your eyes are glowing purple," she told him

Mike tried to proceed forward as if he didn't hear her. Frustrated, Jess slapped him hard across the face. Mike paused then shook his head. He blinked a few times and rubbed his cheek. He glanced around a few times as if he was lost, confusing Jess even more. When he looked down at her, his eyes were normal. "When did we get home?" he asked.

* * *

Sam handed Josh a glass of water and his meds and waited for him to down them both. He did so and set the glass aside, "My schedule is going to be all sorts of cattywampus now," he proclaimed.

Sam only looked back at him as if it was the weirdest thing out of his mouth, if only.

"What, it's a real word," he assured her, "Look it up."

Sam only chuckled and shook her head. Without another word, she moved through the kitchen and to her room, followed by Josh who closed the door behind him. Sam stripped her clothes down to just her t-shirt and panties and crawled into bed, while Josh stripped down to his boxer briefs and joined her.

Sam cuddled up to Josh, resting her head on his chest as he held her close. It was nice being able to hear his heart beat, like a quiet lullaby, rocking her to sleep, "What do you think is going on?" she whispered.

"With Em?" Josh asked. Sam nodded against his chest. Josh shrugged, "I don't know, but I'm willing to believe anything at this point. Doesn't Ash watch that supernatural stuff?"

Sam let out a long sigh, "I think so, maybe we should collaborate tomorrow."

"Don't you mean today?" Josh teased.

Sam considered the time and snickered, "Considering everyone is probably just as drained as the rest of us, I stick with my statement, we can probably bring it up to them tomorrow."

"Ever since we encountered the Wendigo, who knows what else is real," Josh pointed out. "Maybe tomorrow, I'll wake up a vampire, like in Twilight," he joked.

"Will you sparkle too?" Sam asked.

Josh chuckled and kissed her forehead.

* * *

"So I've dabbled a bit into supernatural stuff, ever since the whole thing back on the mountain, sure I know it as Josh, messing with us with the spirit board, but the Wendigo were real," Ashley stated.

"Sorry again about that," Josh admitted.

Ashley only nodded, not sure what to say, "But any who, I've got all these books on different lore and such and I decided to look into them."

"And?" Sam prodded.

"I got nothing, I'm not even sure where to start, but I found someone who might," Ashley continued.

"Who?" Mike asked.

"His name is William Fischer. A few years ago some crazy stuff happened down in Florida, it's one of those things that was covered up by the government and such, kinda like deep MIB stuff."

"MIB?" Mike asked.

"Men In Black," Sam clarified.

"Have you not seen the movies, bro?" Josh asked.

Mike hesitated, "Well, no…but…"

"They were a secret agencies that dealt with like aliens and keeping anything related to aliens hidden from the world and stuff," Ashley elaborated, "accept this isn't a movie, this is real life. Supposedly this guy was involved with something crazy that happened in Florida, something that the FBI or whatever tried to wipe from the world, but the internet is huge and there's always videos all over. You can try to delete something but there will always be someone else who uploads the video somewhere else."

"So what exactly was this William guy involved with that the government is trying so hard to hide?" Josh asked.

Ashley shook her head, "It's not really clear, but from what I've read it sounds like he's involved in a MIB type of agency that deals with more than just aliens, but supernatural occurrences. This guy has been recorded in over a hundred different instances that the supernatural investigative community believe are cover ups" She then turned her laptop for them to see the various windows she had open with several news articles attached to his appearance allowing the group to scroll through the pictures.

"Ash, this really doesn't tell us much, it just says that he was at these places and something may or may not have happened there," Sam pointed out. "Half these people sound nuts any way, they're conspiracy theorists. I mean, 'A Date with Death,' 'Though the Looking Glass of a Parallel World,' 'The Human Lightning Rod,' these articles all sound like something you'd find on those 'I was abducted by aliens,' sights."

"You guys are willing to believe that we were all attacked by Wendigos, but not that there might actually be some super-secret agency out there to protect us from some sort of supernatural happenings?"

"Let's say this William guy actually knows something, who's to say he'd actually help us?" Chris pointed out.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to ask," Ashley suggested.


	8. 8: Kingsman

**Sorry this chapter is more about things starting to come together so it's one whole section and it's real long. It's not that exciting and more talking than anything, but I hope you guys like it just the same. I hope you enjoy my OCs Ambrose and Liam, they're so much fun to write. As for the Agency they mention, I don't say what it's called for reasons. Because the agency is a big part of the story where Liam and Ambrose come from, I don't want to give too much away so right now it's just a secret to the group. o3o**

 **Any questions on the OCs or if you're interested in seeing art of Ambrose, pm and I'll tell you how to see them. As for Liam I don't have any art of him yet but the best way for me to describe how he looks is, he kinda looks like Taron Egerton or Eggsy from the movie Kingsman. At least that's the image i've decided on for now xD**

* * *

The man who answered the door was not at all like what Ashley would have imagined. Sure she saw several pictures of the guy, but none of them hardly did any justice. Most of which were fuzzy or caught while he was in motion with a poor quality cellphone camera. The man was practically the Loch Ness Monster, but here he stands, 6'2, lightly tanned skin, chestnut brown hair, green eyes, and a strong jaw with a hint of five o' clock shadow. Not to mention the plain whit v-neck and grey jeans. The man was gorgeous, but Ashley had to remind herself that not only is she engaged, but her fiancé was standing right beside her. Jess and Sam on the other hand, didn't even try to hide the fact that they were drooling.

The man had to be at least in his mid to late twenties, but Ashley always figured these kind of secret agent type well-seasoned guys would look more like Tommy Lee Jones, old and always grumpy.

"Can I help…all of you?" the man asked as he eyed the six people outside his door.

Ashley glanced over her shoulder to the rest of the group. They all just sort of stared back at her, unsure what to say or do. They hadn't really planned on anything other than heading out to this guy's house and knocking on his door, everything after that point was sort of gone in the wind. Ashley bit her lip and locked eyes with the man in the doorway. A faint child's cries could be heard in the background and the man glanced over his shoulder then back to the group.

"Look, if this is some sort of fund raiser thing for like your high school or whatever, can you hurry it up, my daughter is awake from her nap," the man said, leaning on the door frame.

"I'm sorry, you're William Fischer, right?" Ashley asked.

The man rose a brow at the girl and shrugged, "William is my father, I go by Liam," he corrected, "What's this about?"

Ashley closed her eyes and let it all out in one breath, "About a year ago we were in the Blackwood Mountains and we encountered something that no way in a thousand years if things had been different would we have ever believed, but we saw them, they're real and they attacked us and we almost died, and they almost got Jess and she was pretty emotionally scared, but we all escaped and we lived and everything was fine until I guess this weird outbreak started happening where these young pregnant women were being eaten from the inside out and our friend Emily just had the same thing happen to her, but she lived cause her boyfriend Matt, our other friend, found her just in time, the hospital isn't saying much but we think it's connected and I'm worried I might be next because I'm pregnant and I'm a young mother to be and that's what happened to Emily and they say it happens between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five and I'm just freaking out," she said before taking a deep breath at the end.

Liam stared at the group for what seemed like the longest time, each one of them nodded in agreement with what Ashley had said. Sighing he dug into his pocket and retracted his cellphone, dialed a number then put it to his ear. He waited for a moment before whoever was on the other side answered. "Yeah, the Wendigo witnesses from the Washington cabin incident are here, you should head over," he said. "The group gawked, not only was that too easy, but how did he know exactly what Ashley was talking about, let alone about Josh's family. "Yeah, that wasn't really an alliteration, Ambrose, but nice try," he snorted into the phone as he stepped aside and ushered the group inside. Hanging up the phone the closed the door behind them, not before uttering a quick, "Sorry for your loss," to Josh as he walked by.

"How do you know all about this?!" Josh demanded.

"In due time," Liam assured him, "but we have to wait until 'he' gets here," he reminded him, but Josh wasn't going to let him off that easy. Josh grabbed a handful of Liam's shirt and shoved him against the wall, "How much do you know?" he demanded.

"Woah, Josh, calm your tits, we just met this guy," Mike piped in. "I'm sure he's more than willing tell us what we need to know, just-"

"Stay out of this!" Josh snapped. He directed his attention back to the man he was pinning, "Did you know about what happened to my sisters, I mean really know? Do you know what Hannah became? Could you have stopped it?!" he demanded, question after question, shaking the man as he asked each one.

Liam hardly flinched as he allowed the guy to shake him and demand answers that he would have gladly given him in just a few short minutes. Carefully he slipped his hand against Josh's chest, releasing a short blast of energy from his palm. It was colorless but let out a soft hum when released. It caused no pain, but had enough force to shove Josh back a few feet, leaving him standing and gawking in awe.

Liam rolled his shoulders and fixed his shirt, "Now, give me a moment," he said slowly, "I have to go check on my daughter. When I come back, I'll answer whatever I can until 'he' gets here, but for now, you're going to have to be patient."

Josh was dumbfounded as he stared at the man. "How did he do that, I…" was all he could manage before the man left the room.

"What. Just. Happened?" Sam asked.

No one had an answer, perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all.

"The world is a lot bigger than you were lead to believe and now that you've been exposed to it, there's no use trying to hide it from you," came a voice from behind the group.

They all spun around quickly to look at the man who belonged to the voice. He was at least 6'6. His shaggy, raven black hair, grey eyes and pale complexion fit well with the eerie feeling they were getting from the whole situation. From the base of his jaw down, he was covered in tattoos, at least from what they could see. Some even covered the backs of his hands. Everything about the guy screamed either vampire or hard core metal fan that is, until they noted the pink '#1 Dad' t-shirt that showed off the various demon themed tattoos that covered his arms. A thumb tucked into the pocket of his dark blue skinny jeans and the other hand held a drumstick ice cream cone. "Sup," he smirked. The smile was almost inhuman as it stretched across his face, much like the Cheshire cat.

"Who are you?" Josh asked.

The man bit into the cone of his ice cream and continued to work on the vanilla goodness for a short while longer before replying, "Name's Ambrose, I'm a demon," he smirked.

"Cut the crap," Mike snapped, "we came here to get answers, not the run around."

In a blink of an eye, the man was gone, but just as fast as he was gone, he was in Mike's face, "You'll get your answers," he assured Mike.

"Jesus Christ!" Mike snapped jumping back, "What the hell."

"Precisely," Ambrose agreed, "well, I mean, it's not exactly on the nose, but you have the idea."

"How the hell did you do that?!" Chris asked.

"You guys saw that too?" Josh asked, "It wasn't just in my head, right? Cause, I mean, I took my meds today, I promise."

"That's good, Josh," Ambrose nodded, "I'm glad you're sticking to your meds this time."

"This has got to be a trick," Sam suggested. "These guys aren't the real deal, they're just messing with us. They must have gotten ahold of the reports or something."

Liam returned a moment later, a young toddler in his arms. She had bouncing brown hair, much like her father's but her eyes were a deep crimson red. "Ambrose, please stop traumatizing the kids," he rolled his eyes. He approached Ashley and held his daughter out to her, "Can you hold her for me? She's going through one of her fits when she doesn't want to be put down and I kinda need my hands.

Ashley was too dumbfounded to respond, but did as she was told, holding the toddler in her arms.

Ambrose rolled his eyes, "What better way to open them up to a world beyond their rose colored glasses than to scare the living day lights out of them?"

"They've been through enough, don't you think? Wendigo aren't the most forgiving of the supernatural realm," Liam reminded him.

"Neither is my wife, but she's still married to me," Ambrose pointed out.

"I wouldn't say that so loud, especially seeing as she's the daughter of Death, if she doesn't hear you, I know he will," Liam pointed out.

"You've got me there," Ambrose admitted as he glanced around a bit nervously.

"Um, sorry to break up your lover's quarrel, but we 'are' here to get some answers," Sam interjected.

The two bickering men exchanged a glance before giving a quick nod in unison, "Right, so, as my college-"

"Boss," Ambrose corrected.

"Boss," Liam repeated, "said, you guys have personally witnessed and survived a very traumatic experience and although we're both sure you have opened your mind to the possibilities of other supernatural entities, it can be hard to truly understand what it is that is out in this world. You see, there's a sort of filter or veil over the world, blinding most humans to what truly lies beneath, but there are those with special abilities to peak into that filter of sorts and get a bit of a glimps. Some people get to see more than just a glimpse, but that isn't always a good thing, so there's a secret agency out there whose job it is to make sure the world stays balanced. Think of it as a sort of Men in Black thing, but instead of aliens, we deal with the sort of things you see in your nightmares, or in the movie Twilight."

"What's this so called agency called?" Mike prodded.

"Then it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?" Ambrose retorted.

Liam slapped Ambrose on the shoulder, "Quit it," he hissed. "But he has a point, we're not allowed to say. It's a need to know basis, all we can say is the world is a lot bigger and scary than you originally thought."

"And just what, exactly, does that entail?" Chris asked.

"Good question," Ambrose began, then approached Ashley, "take this cutie, for example," he said, gesturing to the infant, "Her name is Lilith, ironically, she may mostly look like a regular human baby, but notice the red eyes. When Liam and his wife take their daughter out, they have to give her contacts, which is pretty difficult to put contact into a child." Liam nodded in agreement and Ambrose continued, "Although, Rebecca, Liam's wife, isn't really Lilith's mother, Liam is Lilith's mother."

"Ambrose!" Liam protested, but Ambrose proceeded. With a quick motion he lifted Liam's shirt to reveal a long scar that went from one side of Liam's stomach to the other, several inches below his belly button. Liam, who was blushing furiously, struggled against Ambrose's hold on his shirt and finally managed to tug it down. "It's complicated," he admitted sheepishly. "Just…if you ever meet a short platinum blond and a club called Valhalla don't offer her a drink and ask her home with you, because she will put date rape in your drink and get you pregnant," he said quickly.

"How does a man get pregnant?" Ashley asked her face contorting into several different emotions as she tried to imagine it.

"Anything is possible if you cross Loki, god of chaos," Ambrose replied. "She can bend time and turn reality inside out if she wanted. Why not impregnate a man?"

"Loki, like Norse mythology Loki?" Sam asked. "Like Marvel's Loki?"

Liam shook his head, "No, very different Loki than Tom Hiddleston, believe me, but yeah, the very same from Norse mythology. Loki can shape shift, take different form and make almost anything happen," he said as he absently rubbed his stomach where the scar lay beneath his shirt.

"Lilith is part demon, part Loki, and part Liam, because Loki is a twisted being," Ambrose said. "Trust me, I wasn't always this way," he said as he rose his hand and electricity sparked between his fingertips, "I was human once, but I was a dumb ass and made a deal with Loki, though that's a story for another time. I'm not the man I was, I was literally ripped apart and put back together, but the pieces she put back, where not all the original parts. A little bit of this, a dash of that and it almost ruined me. Long story short, just…never make a deal with a being such as Loki or any other god like creature out there, because they promises you all sorts of things, but never show you the fine print."

"Well that's great advice," Josh cut in, "but what does all of that have to do with the Wendigo and what's going on with all these pregnant women being eaten from the inside out?"

Liam gestured to the living room, "If you guys feel more comfortable sitting down," he suggested.

The six of them exchanged glances among one another before quietly moving into the living room, followed by Ambrose and Liam.

Ashley sat down beside Chris, still holding onto Lilith, who was a surprisingly well behaved toddler as she played with Ashley's hair.

When everyone was settled Josh spoke up, "Before, when you…pushed me away, how did you do that?"

"Simple deflection spell," Liam replied as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Spell?" Mike piped in.

"He's a hairy wizard," Ambrose replied before Liam could.

"Would you cut it out?" Liam asked. Ambrose only shrugged and smirked. "One of the perks of being impregnated by an immortal god, is apparently carrying a child with supernatural abilities, in turn, gives you the ability to have supernatural abilities. I also stopped aging which is neat."

"So how old are you?" Chris asked.

"I'm only twenty-eight, but just don't ask Ambrose how old he is, because he won't give you a straight-"

"I'm forty-seven," Ambrose shrugged.

"Ass hole," Liam mumbled. "You didn't even tell me how old you were until a year after I knew you."

"I like messing with you," Ambrose chuckled.

"There is no way that man is forty-seven," Sam shook her head.

"You look at least-" Mike began.

"Twenty-three?" Ambrose asked, "That's how old I was when I…" he cast his eyes to the side, "when I died." He looked back to the group, "But let's get to what is more important. Your friend Emily, was one of the victims, right? And you probably thought it was somehow tied to what happened on the Blackwood Mountains?"

"That's where I know you from," Jess finally spoke. As per usual she had been quiet the whole time they'd been there, but it turns out she'd been trying to place his face all along. "You're her doctor, aren't you?"

Ambrose rose a bemused brow, "Clever girl. The agency I work for has me at that hospital to investigate anything that might be supernatural related, but rest assured, I'm a real doctor, I'm the one who patched her up. I mean, look at Liam's scar, I did such a good job on that." Liam rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, we thought Loki was behind these recent attacks, going back to an old plan, but she's been under the careful watch of her father, Odin," Liam said.

"You guys didn't kill her?" Josh asked.

"You can't have balance in the world without Chaos," Ambrose told him. "We can't kill her but we can contain her and limit what she's allowed to do."

"If it's not Loki, then who?" Chris asked.

Both Liam and Ambrose shrugged simultaneously "We're not sure yet, but we're working on it," Liam assured them.

"But you're sure it has nothing to do with the Wendigo?" Mike asked.

"When you guys set off that explosion in the Washington cabin, it destroyed the last of the Wendigo, releasing their spirits back into their purgatory until someone else decides to take up cannibalism on that mountain," Ambrose said. "We've had scouts all over those mountains over the past year and in the mines as well and no signs yet."

"So if you guys knew about the Wendigo then is there a chance you could have saved my sisters?" Josh asked.

Ambrose shook his head, "I'm sorry kid, but we didn't have any reports about the Wendigo until after Hannah became one and you guys decided to go back up there. They're not like vampires who make themselves known all the time in various parts of the world, Wendigo are very secluded creatures and don't happen as often as they used to, at least not here. If anything, we'd probably hear about it from some unknown island out in the Bermuda Triangle first."

"If…If she was still alive up there, Hannah, is there anything you guys could have done to reverse it?" Josh asked.

Ambrose shrugged once more, "I'm sorry kid, if I knew how to reverse terrible things like that, I'd look like a forty-seven year old right now," he said simply.

Josh lowered his eyes and hunched his shoulders.

"So, if it's not the Wendigo and it's not Loki, then what else does this sort of thing?" Ashley asked.

"Hard to say. Nothing comes to mind right away, which is the problem, but I promise you, we have all walks of life on the case and I mean all walks of life. We have hunters, scholars, vampires, witches," Ambrose then gestured to Liam, "demons," he gestured to himself, "and whatever else you can find in a book on lore, trying to figure this out."

"Is there anything that has glowing purple eyes?" Jess finally pitched in.

"Purple eyes?" Liam asked.

"Do you mean like this?" Ambrose asked before his eyes glowed a vibrant iridescent blue for a moment before quickly going back to grey.

"Yeah, just like that, but purple," Jess said. "The other day…Mike and I were fooling around and his eyes glowed purple. At first I thought it was my mind just messing with me, but he kept persisting so I kinda got ticked and slapped him. Then he didn't even remember anything from when we got home."

"How come you never said anything about it before?" Chris asked.

Jess only shrugged.

"You know…come to think of it," Sam began before glancing at Josh, "that night you came over to my place, we started to mess around and for a moment I thought your eyes looked purple, but I brushed it off."

"What, you guys hooked up?" Ashley asked.

Liam held up a hand, "You guys may be onto something."


End file.
